SpaceX’s Starship SN9, a high-altitude prototype, conducted its flight test on February 2, 2021, from their Boca Chica, Texas facility. The flight, while ultimately ending in a hard landing, provided valuable data for the ongoing development of the fully reusable Starship launch system.
The SN9 vehicle ignited its three Raptor engines, lifting off smoothly and initiating its ascent profile. Throughout the powered flight, the engines performed as expected, propelling the Starship to its targeted altitude of approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Live telemetry streamed throughout the flight, allowing engineers and the public to observe the vehicle’s performance in real-time.
A key objective of the flight was to execute the “belly flop” maneuver. This involves Starship transitioning to a horizontal position in the upper atmosphere to increase surface area for aerodynamic braking during descent. SN9 successfully performed this maneuver, demonstrating controlled aerodynamic stability as it fell towards the landing pad.
Next, SN9 was programmed to perform a “flip” maneuver, righting itself vertically for a controlled engine-assisted landing. While the vehicle began this maneuver, it experienced issues with engine ignition. Specifically, only one of the two required Raptor engines ignited in time for the landing burn.
This resulted in insufficient thrust to slow the vehicle down effectively. Consequently, SN9 impacted the landing pad at high velocity, resulting in a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD), or in simpler terms, an explosion.
Despite the destructive ending, the SN9 flight was not considered a failure by SpaceX. As Elon Musk himself stated, these flights are aimed at gathering data and iterating on the design. The data collected during SN9’s flight, from engine performance to aerodynamic control, is invaluable in informing future Starship iterations.
Following the SN9 flight, SpaceX immediately began preparing the next prototype, SN10, for its own high-altitude test. This demonstrated the company’s rapid development cycle and commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration through iterative testing and continuous improvement.
The ultimate goal of the Starship program is to create a fully reusable transportation system capable of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. While the SN9 flight ended in a crash, it represents a significant step towards realizing that ambitious vision. Each test, successful or not, contributes to the growing knowledge base that will eventually make Starship a reality.
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