Starship back in space: successful launch, but uncontrollable fall into the ocean

Another test flight of SpaceX’s Starship system has come to a mixed conclusion. The craft successfully entered orbit and separated from a heavy Super Heavy launch vehicle, but then lost control and entered the atmosphere in an uncontrollable mode, ending its flight in the Indian Ocean. The company cleared the airspace in the area of the crash in advance.

The most stable launch of the year

The ninth Starship test flight was the most successful of 2024, especially after two consecutive failures. The rocket launched from the south coast of Texas on Tuesday night. It was the first time a previously flown Super Heavy booster, which participated in the seventh test and successfully returned to Earth, had been used for the launch.

This time, separation went smoothly: the booster separated and the craft continued on into space. However, one of the key tests could not be performed – the hatch of the side compartment did not open, and the mock satellites were not released.

Loss of orientation and abnormal re-entry

Later in the flight, Starship lost control of its orientation, causing it to fail to re-enter the atmosphere correctly. This caused it to disintegrate on re-entry and the debris to fall into the ocean.

The launch became possible after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted permission despite the recent accidents. SpaceX provided an updated risk analysis, which allowed for the expansion of safety zones in the U.S. and other countries.

The launch was made possible after the FAA granted permission despite recent accidents.

Previous tests: successes and failures

In January, SpaceX successfully caught the booster on descent for the second time. At that time, Starship also separated and went into space, but an anomaly soon occurred, causing the debris to fall near Puerto Rico. The FAA was forced to divert several airplanes in the region.

In March, another launch took place. The booster separated again and was caught by the launch tower in Texas, but after eight minutes of flight, the craft lost several Raptor engines and began spinning.

After the first launch, the booster separated again and was caught by the launch tower in Texas.

Design changes and safety measures

After two consecutive failures, SpaceX conducted an internal investigation. Based on its findings, hardware changes were made to improve the reliability of the entire system.

Although the ninth flight ended in an abnormal landing, it was an important step forward in the development of an ultra-heavy, reusable rocket – a key element of Elon Musk’s company’s future interplanetary missions.

The Starship back in space: successful launch but uncontrollable crash into the ocean was first published on ITZine.ru.