Starship SN10 Lands Succesfully and Explodes
Elon Musk's Starship space program reports progress. The prototype spacecraft, designated SN10, did not explode on landing... it did so a few minutes afterwards.
- Starship completed a fully successful flight, this time landing as planned;
- Instead, the explosion occurred a few minutes after the landing.
'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,' said Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, after successfully landing on the moon. Can they be used again, commenting on the test flight of the prototype Starship SN10? Theoretically, because this unit finally landed without issues. Unlike its predecessors, it did not hit the ground, but desceneded rather smoothly on the landing pad at Boca Chica, Texas. Standing somewhat crookedly but in one piece, Starship SN10 could be admired for a few minutes, after which it decided to explode.
Armstrong's quote might have meant something, at least to the "mankind" who were passengers on the ship. The explosion was delayed securing a few minutes to allow for possible evacuation. Interestingly, the official SpaceX broadcast (an abbreviated recording) ended shortly after the landing, so it doesn't show the explosion. NASA Spaceflight's transmission lasted longer and captured the moment.
Internet memes related to the flight of the prototype also quickly began to appear.
It is unclear what could have caused the explosion. In this video, we can see that one of the legs did not lock into the landing position. Hence perhaps the tilt of the spacecraft after touchdown. Flames could be seen on the landing pad, which could indicate a fuel leak and a fire. It is possible that both facts were related to each other. Here is the content of SpaceX's official announcement:
"SN10 experienced a rapid, unscheduled disassembly shortly after landing."
The flight of the prototype was to test computer-programmed maneuvers in the air, as well as land using the engines. The entire spacecraft will also include the Super Heavy launch module. The Starship is designed as a versatile means of transportation, capable of taking 100 tons of cargo to Earth's orbit, Mars or the Moon. In the future, it may also serve as a space shuttle to the planned Voyager space station.
