SpaceX has announced that it has received permission for a new launch of its super-heavy Starship rocket. It is scheduled for August 24.
Accident investigation
The Starship that will be used in the upcoming mission is a Block 2 modification. It is larger and has a greater payload capacity than the rocket that flew in 2024. However, Block 2 cannot yet boast of particular reliability. The first two flights followed the same scenario, with the spacecraft disintegrating in the sky over the Caribbean Sea.
During the next flight in May, Starship managed to reach the stage of engine shutdown. However, the spacecraft was unable to deploy its cargo of eight Starlink satellite simulators and suffered a fuel leak, resulting in a loss of control. As a result, it disintegrated in the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster test program was also unsuccessful, with the booster falling into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of America.
Another Starship of this modification exploded in June during a burn test, damaging the launch pad. As a result, SpaceX had to significantly adjust its plans and postpone the new flight for more than a month in order to investigate the accident.
On August 15, the company officially announced the completion of the investigation. The cause of the Starship accident in May was attributed to a failure of the main fuel tank’s supercharger system diffuser, while the cause of the Super Heavy booster accident was attributed to exceeding the predicted loads on the structure, in particular on the booster’s fuel line, due to an experiment with an increased angle of approach.
As for the Starship explosion in June, it was caused by damage to the composite high-pressure tank installed in the spacecraft’s payload compartment. It led to the destruction of the tank, which damaged the spacecraft’s fuel tanks, which in turn caused an explosion.
Tenth flight of Starship
The completion of the investigation allowed SpaceX to obtain permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration for a new Starship flight. It will take place on August 24.
The program for the tenth Starship flight is similar to previous tests. After separation, the Super Heavy booster will perform a flip maneuver, which saves fuel. Next, engineers will conduct a series of experiments, including deliberately shutting down one of the central engines to simulate an emergency situation. SpaceX does not intend to recover Super Heavy. The booster will be sunk in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
As for Starship, after shutting down its engines, it should release eight Starlink satellite simulators from its cargo compartment. They will follow the same suborbital trajectory as the spacecraft and burn up in the atmosphere. In addition, there are plans to reignite one Raptor engine in space.
In addition, the plan for the new Starship test includes several experiments related to its thermal protection. Thus, some of the protective tiles were removed from the spacecraft. This is necessary in order to check its vulnerable areas during atmospheric entry. Several different types of metal tiles were also installed on Starship, including one with active cooling. They will provide an opportunity to test alternative materials that could be used for thermal protection of the spacecraft.
It should be noted that, in parallel with the Block 2 tests, SpaceX is already actively working on a new modification of Starship Block 3, which is generating considerable anticipation. The company hopes to launch it for the first time before the end of this year.
