SpaceX Starship successfully launched on 2nd-ever test flight, explodes after stage separation
On November 18, 2023, SpaceX’s Starship, the largest and most ambitious rocket ever constructed, marked a significant milestone in space exploration with its second-ever test flight.
Starship successfully lifted off under the thrust of its 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster at around 13:00 UTC. This was the second test flight of the fully integrated Starship, consisting of the Super Heavy first-stage booster and the Starship upper-stage spacecraft.
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/qXnGXXZP5k
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2023
The world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, powered by 33 Raptor engines, lifting off from Starbase pic.twitter.com/PqynIneFln
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2023
Stage separation! pic.twitter.com/PipaCW1PDT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2023
Tracking camera views of hot-staging separation pic.twitter.com/wcCidOh5K0
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2023
Although the mission experienced an unexpected turn when both the booster and the Starship upper-stage vehicle underwent what SpaceX called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” post-stage separation, this event is seen not as a failure by the company, but as a critical step in the developmental journey of Starship.
Starship’s hot-stage separation was the first time this technique has been done successfully with a vehicle of this size pic.twitter.com/nlfhcPo8m7
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2023
Test flights are essential steps in the development of any new aerospace technology. They provide invaluable data and insights, helping engineers and scientists to refine designs and systems. In the case of the Starship, this test flight was particularly significant.
Following the initial test in April, which did not go as planned, the SpaceX team had made considerable adjustments. The successful execution of the launch sequence, including the operation of the Super Heavy Booster, marked a critical achievement in the Starship’s development.
As for the explosion over the Gulf of Mexico on November 18, John Insprucker, SpaceX’s principal integration engineer, suggested during the live webcast that the automated flight termination system on the second stage may have triggered late in the burn.
Featured image credit: SpaceX
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