Posted on 07/25/2019 7:57:20 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Seconds after the engine fired up, SpaceX stopped its first attempt to fly its prototype “Starship” rocket more than a few feet off the ground at the company’s facility in Boca Chica Beach, Texas on Wednesday.
The prototype rocket did not lift off from the ground, as SpaceX engineer Kate Tice noted while hosting a surprise livestream of the test. The rocket’s engine started but the prototype did not move and an enduring flame shot skywards near the top of the rocket. SpaceX was intending to “hop” the vehicle in a short flight of about 65 feet in the air.
“It appears as though we have had an abort on today’s test. As you can see there, the vehicle did not lift off today,” Tice said. “As I mentioned before, this is a development program, today was a test flight designed to test the boundaries of the vehicle.”
Known as “Starhopper,” the prototype rocket is the early version of the company’s Starship rocket. Starship, with an enormous booster called “Super Heavy,” is being built to achieve founder Elon Musk’s dream of transporting up to 100 people to destinations including the moon and Mars.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
It doesn’t work.
Might as well shut down Space-X and indict Musk!
(In ahead of the Elon Musk haters)
Little steps
Every success is backed by many failures..........
I think they are trying again today at 3 pm, PST.
Or...yesterday they had to delay a full launch, and then there is another hop test in just a couple days.
This fire caused no major damage, actually barely any damage.
I do believe they found the lower boundary.
The chamber pressure was too high due to propellant being colder than expected.
Easy fix.
It’s still amazing that we put a man on the Moon and got it back safely in the year of my birth 1969
Progress from the early days of the US space program, when they would have a problem on launch and the range safety officer had to blow up the rocket. Then try to fix the problem on the next rocket based on the telemetry from the original problem.
You don’t have that option with Solid Fueled Rockets.
Once it’s lit, you’re all in.
*ping*
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