SpaceX Staff Cheer over Starship’s Success, Despite Spectacular “Flight Termination” over Texas

SpaceX Staff Cheer over Starship’s Success, Despite Spectacular “Flight Termination” over Texas

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket launched on its second attempt this Thursday. The rocket then exploded minutes after clearing the launch pad during the flight test.

Despite the end result, SpaceX staff cheered as the event met specific milestones for the development of the system.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket — which could one day carry humans to the moon and Mars — made it some four minutes and 24 miles into the sky before it exploded during its inaugural test flight on Thursday.

And yet, even as they watched the world’s largest rocket burst into a fireball, SpaceX employees still roared with cheers and applause.

That’s because the whole point of a test is to figure out what does and doesn’t work, experts say.

Thursday’s launch was hailed as “a real accomplishment” and “so successful” by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and retired International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield, respectively. SpaceX agreed.

“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary,” SpaceX later tweeted.

The explosion was not accidental. The “flight termination” sequence began after the Starship veered off course and the boosters failed to separate.

Starship was veering off its planned trajectory, the company said. SpaceX and FAA have procedures in place to keep a rocket from injuring people or damaging property.

“Starship gave us quite a show during today’s first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas,” SpaceX said in statement.

The company said multiple engines were out and therefore the shuttle began to lose altitude and “tumble.”

“The flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and the ship. As is standard procedure, the pad and surrounding area was cleared well in advance of the test,” the statement read.

And while the American media seemed quick to cheer the explosion, assuming Team Musk’s mission had failed, more prototypes are ready for launch and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) officials are delighted with the progress.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson praised the launch, congratulating SpaceX and writing on Twitter (opens in new tab) that “Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test — and beyond.”

NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Jim Free likewise shared his enthusiasm on Twitter (opens in new tab), writing that Starship will help move the agency toward a crewed landing on the moon as part of the Artemis program.

“Looking forward to learning from the data SpaceX captured as they continue to develop the Starship human landing system and prepare for their next flight test,” Free wrote.

Encouraged by @SpaceX’s Starship flight test today. Each test is necessary progress toward a human lunar landing. Looking forward to learning from the data SpaceX captured as they continue to develop the Starship human landing system and prepare for their next flight test. https://t.co/yvzjBsj9WA

— Jim Free (@JimFree) April 20, 2023

One downside was the debris that showered an area in Texas.

The SpaceX rocket launch explosion rained debris over a wide area, shaking homes and covering nearby Port Isabel with brown grime for miles.

Rob Nixon of San Benito, who watched the launch from Port Isabel, told Texas Public Radio the rocket’s impact was felt for miles.

“I wasn’t expecting to collect raining particulates today,” he said. “And my wife’s classroom in Los Fresnos vibrated 20 miles away.”

Port Isabel spokeswoman Valerie Bates told The New York Times that most of the city was covered with a thick, granular sand that landed on everything.

I am looking forward to seeing how the Starship program progresses. I am hoping for more reliable coverage of this important program for our press, but that outcome is much less likely than an even more successful launch by SpaceX.

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