Summary
The FAA and Turks and Caicos officials are investigating SpaceX’s Starship rocket test explosion, which sent debris over the northern Caribbean, forcing flight diversions.
The upgraded Starship exploded over the Bahamas eight minutes after launch, scattering fiery debris that caused intense rumbling in the Turks and Caicos.
Residents described shaking walls and loud booms, likened to a small earthquake.
No injuries were reported, but property damage is under review.
SpaceX cited a fire in the rocket’s aft section as the cause of the failure during its seventh test flight.
The first stage has basically been proven out at this point. That alone makes it revolutionary, the world’s most powerful first stage booster and it’s fully reusable. Even if the upper stage ends up being non-reusable the increase in capacity and reduction in cost is enormous.
And I see no fundamental reason why the upper stage won’t be made reusable. The first two Starship reentry tests got toasty but the rocket survived to do a precise, controlled landing in the ocean. That’s most of the way there.
Oh its proven, its fully reusable?
Is it proven to be fully reusable?
Has … that happened?
No, no it has not.
Every Starship Booster that has been in every IFT launch other than the latest one, 7, has either exploded, been decommissioned/disassembled, or been scuttled and sunk.
I seriously doubt that Booster 14, used in this most recent IFT 7 launch, will ever be reused.
Sure, $3 billion+ US taxpayer dollars went toward the development of a lunar landing and return vehicle, but its fine, only 3 years behind schedule without achieving orbit or having a payload beyond ‘banana’, which has literally 0 design put toward orbital refueling or even a crew compartment/habitation module, its fine, its fine.
I wonder how hot it gets inside during reentry.
Mildly important for human crewed missions, but I’m sure they’ll just be fine inside of a barren steel cavity.
Anyway, have any actual Starships been proven to be reusable?
No?
Ok then, you keep believing the worlds wealthiest known serial liar, I’ll continue being horrified this clown isn’t in a padded room.
I said basically proven out. They launched the booster and they got it back. What, specifically, do you think is the obstacle to reusing it? What insurmountable problem do they still have to work out? Obviously they’re going to continue refining the design, but the design fundamentally works.
Starship was being developed regardless of that contract. SpaceX is developing it to launch their Starlink satellites. The lunar lander contract is a bonus.