Gallery: Starship Flight Test Meets Promise Of ‘Excitement Guaranteed’

Irene Klotz April 20, 2023

Credit: John Kraus

SpaceX’s first Super Heavy rocket lifted off from the company’s privately owned spaceport in Boca Chica Beach, Texas, at 8:33 a.m. local time on April 20, aiming to put a Starship spacecraft on a test run around the planet.

Credit: John Kraus

Images of the Super Heavy’s ascent clearly show multiple Raptor engines not firing. The vehicle was outfitted with 33 methane-burning engines.

Credit: John Kraus

The vehicle passed through the region of maximum aerodynamic pressure and was approaching the point of main engine shutdown and stage separation when a problem arose.

Credit: John Kraus

Starship

Credit: John Kraus

The flight test ended with the Starship and the Super Heavy engulfed in a ball of flames. SpaceX did not immediately say if the destruction was triggered by the vehicle’s onboard flight termination safety system.

Credit: John Kraus

SpaceX considers the flight a success, given that its main goal was to generate data that can be used to improve processes and systems.

SpaceX promised its first integrated flight test of a Starship/Super Heavy vehicle would be “excitement guaranteed.” On that, it certainly delivered. After a spectacular, ground-shaking liftoff on April 20, the 40-story rocket headed out over the Gulf of Mexico. The mission ended less than 4 min. later after the stages failed to separate.

Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

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Fri, 04/21/2023 - 13:32

Good engineering usually means that "excitement" is avoided, not "guaranteed".

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Gallery: Starship Flight Test Meets Promise Of ‘Excitement Guaranteed’

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