Starship SN10 Executes High-Altitude Flight Test ... But ...
On Wednesday, March 3, Starship serial number (SN10) "successfully" completed SpaceX’s third high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from its site in Cameron County, TX, though the launch was not without its problems.
"(T)hese test flights are all about improving our understanding and development of a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights, and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond."
SpaceX media statement.
Similar to the high-altitude flight tests of Starship SN8 and SN9, SN10 was powered through ascent by three Raptor engines, each shutting down in sequence prior to the vehicle reaching apogee – approximately 10 km (6.2 miles) in altitude. SN10 performed a propellant transition to the internal header tanks, which hold landing propellant, before reorienting itself for reentry and a controlled aerodynamic descent.
The Starship prototype descended under active aerodynamic control, accomplished by independent movement of two forward and two aft flaps on the vehicle. All four flaps were actuated by an onboard flight computer to control Starship’s attitude during flight and enabled a precise landing at the intended location. SN10’s Raptor engines reignited as the vehicle performed the landing flip maneuver immediately before successfully touching down on the landing pad.
However, SN10 experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" (RUD) shortly after landing. The spacecraft exploded on the landing pad for reasons that have not yet been determined.
https://youtu.be/ODY6JWzS8WU
All in all, SpaceX called the test flight "a great day for the Starship teams – these test flights are all about improving our understanding and development of a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights, and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond," the company said in a statement posted to its website and released to the media.
In a related story, early Thursday morning, SpaceX successfully launched and deployed 60 more Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A in Cape Canaveral, FL. This was the eighth launch of this Falcon 9 booster, which previously supported Iridium-8, Telstar 18 VANTAGE, and five Starlink missions. The booster landed successfully on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship.
(Source: SpaceX. Image provided)