Elon Musk’s SpaceX Breaks Silence On Starship Flight 7 Disaster

SpaceX has figured out what went wrong with the Starship Flight 7 that failed on January 16. The problem was caused by an unexpectedly strong vibration during the flight, which put too much stress on the engines.

This stress led to fuel leaks in the back part of the Starship, where a fire broke out and caused most of the engines to shut down. Communication with the spacecraft was lost about 8 minutes and 20 seconds after it took off, and the flight termination system kicked in three minutes later.

The investigation found that there was a flash near one of the six Raptor engines shortly after separating from the booster, followed by an increase in pressure that indicated a fuel leak. Another flash happened a couple of minutes later, which triggered sustained fires. Unfortunately, they lost telemetry data before the automatic shutdown system could activate.

SpaceX determined that the vibrations experienced during flight were much more intense than what they had seen during ground tests. This extra stress caused the fuel leaks that couldn’t be properly vented, leading to the fires.

To avoid these issues in future flights, SpaceX is making significant changes for Flight 8. These changes include updates to the fuel lines for the engines, adjusting the temperatures of the fuel, and setting a new target for engine thrust. They are also adding vents and a system to use nitrogen to reduce the fire risk in the back section.

A key part of testing these improvements was a successful 60-second engine test for the Flight 8 Starship on February 12. This test included firing the engines at different power levels and using multiple configurations to tackle the vibration problems they encountered in Flight 7. The data gathered from this test will help refine their hardware and operations for the upcoming launch.

Flight 8 is set to launch as soon as February 28, depending on the FAA’s approval of SpaceX’s investigation results. This mission aims to complete tasks from Flight 7, such as deploying four mass simulators that act like next-generation Starlink satellites to test the payload system. Flight 8 will also introduce new re-entry protection technologies, including metallic tiles with active cooling.

SpaceX plans to try catching the Super Heavy booster again at the launch site. The booster has been upgraded, including better electronics and power systems, as well as changes to the engine igniters after experiencing an ignition failure during the previous flight. The company acknowledges that testing is challenging and emphasizes the importance of flight tests for discovering and fixing complex issues.

Source: spacenews