SpaceX conducted the flight test of its prototype Super Heavy rocket and Starship, launched from Boca Chica, Texas. This is the first test that saw the whole system of Elon Musk’s company which should revolutionize space travel with an unprecedented transport capacity and being totally reusable. In this case, however, these are prototypes with the Super Heavy identified as Booster 7 and Starship identified as Starship 24 or Ship24 or simply S24 which don’t have the safety requirements needed to conduct controlled landings. The test ended after almost 4 minutes with the explosion of both vehicles.
In December 2020, SpaceX started testing some Starship prototypes in which this new spacecraft, with just three Raptor engines, blasted off unaided by a rocket and conducted short flights to assess its maneuvering capabilities. Controlled landing attempts were also made in a designated landing area where a crash or explosion would cause no damage. After the successful test of the Starship SN15 prototype, the company started preparing for the much more complex test with the Super Heavy rocket.
The two vehicles in SpaceX’s new reusable system share part of the manufacturing process, as they are made of stainless steel and use the new Raptor engines. However, the Super Heavy is equipped with 33 engines arranged in concentric circles, a much more complex configuration than that of the Starship prototypes, which are equipped with 3 Raptor engines of the type optimized for atmospheric flight and 3 more Raptor engines of the type called Raptor Vacuum, optimized for vacuum.
The real test launch of a rocket like the Super Heavy is very different from the “simple” firing of its engines and the risks of explosion were clearly explained from the beginning. The Super Heavy blasted off smoothly but some of the Raptor engines failed to burn. Despite this, the moment came when the rocket completed the maneuver in which it flipped over to allow the Starship to separate and conduct its suborbital flight. The Super Heavy’s maneuver was necessary because otherwise, the Starship would have ended up in orbit. Something went wrong and after almost 4 minutes both vehicles exploded.
Pending the results of the SpaceX team’s investigations, we can say that the most powerful rocket ever built managed to blast off but there’s still work to be done to achieve complete success. The prototype identified as Booster 9 seems ready together with the Starship Ship26 prototype. When the problems with the Super Heavy’s Raptor engines and those that prevented Starship 24 from separating are resolved, we can expect a new test.
