Was SpaceX's Third Starship Launch Successful?
Was SpaceX's Third Starship Launch Successful?
Musk finally gets it right.
SpaceX’s Starship is one of Musk’s drug-induced fever dreams that came to life. Not only is it the most enormous rocket ever built, but once it is fully operational, it will be the first entirely reusable launch vehicle, by far the cheapest route to space we have ever had and will take us back to the Moon and even enable us to take our first stapes on Mars. But this astonishing bit of engineering is quite a way off being “fully operational.” Its last two launch tests were spectacular failures, only lasting a few minutes, with the stages failing to separate, forcing SpaceX to self-destruct the rocket. On one of the launches, they even destroyed their incomplete launch pad, causing an environmental disaster and causing them to lose their launch licence for months. However, a few days ago, SpaceX conducted its third launch test; this time, it actually made it to orbit! But was it a success? And does this mean Starship is nearly fully operational?
Let’s start off with what actually happened.
This time, the launch pad stayed intact, and all 33 engines of the first stage (Super Heavy Booster) worked. This was, by far, the best lift-off Starship has done. The first stage separated from Starship perfectly a few minutes into the flight. The Super Heavy Booster will eventually have the ability to safely land like SpaceX’s other rockets, but there was no plan to do that this time. So, once it separated, it fell into the ocean below.
The second stage, also known as Starship, easily ignited its six engines, broke out of the atmosphere, and reached orbital velocity at an altitude of 145 miles. Finally, a Starship has reached space! Once up in the heavens, it undertook a few tests, including opening its payload doors and an internal fuel transfer. The original plan was for the engines to reignite to slow its reentry over the Indian Ocean and safely splash down. However, this didn’t happen, and Starship re-entered at orbital velocity and burned up in the atmosphere. Some have reported that this was because it had a good trajectory, and they didn’t want to knock it off course. As this was a slash down in a giant Ocean, I doubt that was the case, and I suspect something was stopping the engines from reigniting.
To say this is a giant leap forward from the previous tests would be an understatement. Multiple crucial systems functioned perfectly this time, which flat-out failed the last two times. I also can’t stress enough that the launch pad seems to have survived. For some unknown reason, SpaceX opted to use a previously unused design of a cooled steel plate launch pad rather than a flame trench like every other heavy-lift rocket. The pad catastrophically failed on the first launch, contaminating the protected ecosystem around the launch site. The pad survived the second launch mostly unscathed, but it is unclear how many launches it could withstand before failure. So, the fact another launch happened without another failure is a massive win for SpaceX.
Now, the FAA is investigating the failed splashdown, but that is only because they investigate all atmospheric burn-ups. So, this investigation likely won’t lead to any repercussions for SpaceX. This is a markedly better performance than the previous two tests, as the FAA investigations into the launch pad fiasco of the first launch and the failed separation and delayed self-destruction of the second launch caused them to revoke Starship’s launch licence. This means we might not have to wait many months for the next test launch.
That alone is huge news, as Musk has stated that they will need to successfully conduct over 100 test and cargo flights before they do a crewed spaceflight with Starship. Considering Starship is contracted to send NASA astronauts to the Moon in 2026, they must get these flights done ASAP!
That raises the question. How close is Starship to being ready after this test? And is SpaceX developing Starship fast enough?
Well, if you want to use it as a one-use launch system, it can already do that! No cargo was onboard this launch, but Starship reached orbit and opened its payload doors, so it could have delivered a payload to orbit. The only other single-use rocket to come even close to Starship size, the Saturn V of Apollo fame, did three uncrewed tests before its maiden mission, Apollo 4. So, at least in one way, Starship is developing as fast as other similar rockets.
But Starship isn’t a single-use rocket, and it would be commercially unviable if you used it as such. This is where things get complicated. For Starship to launch as often as Musk wants, or to even think of using it for crewed spaceflight, both stages must be able to consistently land safely. So far, they haven’t even attempted to land a single stage of Starship during an orbital launch. It took SpaceX 20 attempts to land a single stage of its Falcon 9 rocket, which is far smaller and less complex than Starship. So, the gap between where Starship is now and it being able to undertake crewed missions or even basic satellite launches is utterly vast. Sadly, history tells us that it could be years before these systems are reliable enough for Starship to enter operation.
So, yes, this test launch was a roaring success compared to the painful failures. However, this generation-defining rocket still has a long way to go. Let’s hope Musk’s pockets are deep enough to keep Starship’s development program going.
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Sources: The Guardian, Space.com, The Independent, SpaceX