"Last night, Elon Musk's rocket company announced that the first of the Super Heavy V3 boosters, Booster 18, was beginning prelaunch testing, starting with a check of the booster's redesigned propellant systems and its structural strength. The testing did not go well, and the booster appeared to rupture while on its Massey test stand in Boca Chica, Texas. Videos on social media captured the event and subsequent imagery revealed severe damage to the rocket's lower section."
"While SpaceX's mantra is "move fast and break stuff," the loss of Booster 18 is significant. The updated Super Heavy booster was to be used for the first launch of the company's version 3 Starship, which needs to demonstrate improvements in reliability and performance from the previous generation. Version 3, for example, needs to prove itself reliable enough to reach orbit and conduct vehicle-to-vehicle refueling."
SpaceX began prelaunch testing of Booster 18, the first Super Heavy V3, focusing on redesigned propellant systems and structural strength. The booster appeared to rupture on its Massey test stand in Boca Chica, Texas, and videos and images showed severe damage to the rocket's lower section. The loss of Booster 18 is significant because Super Heavy V3 was intended to enable Starship V3 to reach orbit, demonstrate vehicle-to-vehicle refueling, and launch the next generation of Starlink satellites. Blue Origin announced a heftier New Glenn 9x4 capable of lofting 70 metric tons, increasing competition. SpaceX and Musk have not commented on the cause.
Read at Theregister
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]