Not a NASA launch, and it's not a NASA site. Elon said a while back he didn't believe a flame trench (pit) would be necessary,
SpaceX is currently building out launch facilities for the Super Heavy Starship at KSC pad 39A. It will have the water deluge system today's launch at Boca Chica was missing. https://spaceflightnow.com/202...
When the launch mount at Boca Chica is repaired and returned to service, it too should have a water deluge system.
For comparison, before today's launch of B7/S24, the most powerful rocket to lift off (it also exploded!) was the Soviet N1 (circa 1969-72). The N1 had a multiple flame trench design.
I wonder if this idea of having so many rocket engines coupled together is such a wise idea. Maybe Saturn's approach of five or so bigger engines is the way to go.
Didn't the old NASA launches always toss a couple of Olympic swimming pools of water into the pit upon launch or something? Why did they stop doing that?
Not a NASA launch, and it's not a NASA site. Elon said a while back he didn't believe a flame trench (pit) would be necessary,
SpaceX is currently building out launch facilities for the Super Heavy Starship at KSC pad 39A. It will have the water deluge system today's launch at Boca Chica was missing. https://spaceflightnow.com/202...
When the launch mount at Boca Chica is repaired and returned to service, it too should have a water deluge system.
For comparison, before today's launch of B7/S24, the most powerful rocket to lift off (it also exploded!) was the Soviet N1 (circa 1969-72). The N1 had a multiple flame trench design.
Didn't the old NASA launches always toss a couple of Olympic swimming pools of water into the pit upon launch or something? Why did they stop doing that?
Definitely need a new launch pad design. I've seen some "unverified" footage of some vehicles getting hit by launch pad debris.
Yeah, that van that got smoked in the rear was Spaceflight Now's setup. There's a lot of other cams that were authorized to be very close. Not all cams survived. Seems those closer to the ground had the best survival rates. I'm sure SpaceX had them all sign a damages waiver . :-)
Conjecture right now is that the Raptors in B7 were of an older design, not the latest iteration, so possibly more prone to failure. Also good conjecture â the rubble blast from underneath the launch mount is thought to have been responsible for damage to most if not all the Raptors that failed at launch or during flight.
Definitely need a new launch pad design. I've seen some "unverified" footage of some vehicles getting hit by launch pad debris.
I was wondering, when they shot a telescopic view of the 1st stage, why there were several dark spots in the thruster cluster, then, realized that was probably not the plan. Your summary was helpful in knowing what might have caused the failure to occur. It's refreshing to see the reaction of the Space X engineers when these things go awry as it reinforces the idea that we learn from failure. Thanks for the summary.
Conjecture right now is that the Raptors in B7 were of an older design, not the latest iteration, so possibly more prone to failure. Also good conjecture — the rubble blast from underneath the launch mount is thought to have been responsible for damage to most if not all the Raptors that failed at launch or during flight.
Pretty successful first flight of the integrated stack - Ship 24, booster 7.
I was wondering, when they shot a telescopic view of the 1st stage, why there were several dark spots in the thruster cluster, then, realized that was probably not the plan. Your summary was helpful in knowing what might have caused the failure to occur. It's refreshing to see the reaction of the Space X engineers when these things go awry as it reinforces the idea that we learn from failure. Thanks for the summary.
Pretty successful first flight of the integrated stack - Ship 24, booster 7.
It met the primary goals of don't blow up the launch site, and make it through Max-Q. It achieved both, and a bit more before the self-destructs were initiated.
My brief Reader's Digest version of the known & speculation:
Early analysis is saying three raptors out on launch, and an additional three failed during flight. One of the latter three exploded in such a fashion to take out the nearby hydraulic power unit (HPU) that provides hydraulic controls to swivel the Raptors and more.
With hydraulic power gone, and little ability to control flight, it held together amazing well as it started a series of spirals before self destruct was commanded. Prior to self destruct, booster 7 did attempt the boost-back burn, with Ship 24 still attached. Ship 24 (S24) may not have been properly released due to the stack not having achieved the correct altitudes & speeds required and/or due to the failure of the HPU to allow the clamps holding S24 to release. The fact the the entire structure held together through the anomalous gyrations speaks well to the structural strength of the integrated stack.
The launch site is not without some serious damage - there's a massive crater blasted below the launch stand. Water deluge planned as an upgrade may not be enough. A flame trench may be required, though the geology of the area - high water table, sand, may be problematic.
The next booster to fly - likely booster 9 (B9)- uses electrical control to swivel the Raptors. The HPU was problematic and this was the only flight where it was to be used. Thus, no more HPU explosions causing loss of control. B9 also has individual engine shielding to add damage control/containment should a Raptor explode.
SpaceX is phenomenal at rapid Iterative development. The next booster and ship to fly are already built. Likely to be S25 and B9. Next test flight likely several months away at minimum.
I was having flashbacks of watching Challenger blow up. Just a test, but still. Weird. I was in middle school and we were all sitting in the floor watching....I remember thinking "What just happened? Is it supposed to do that?".
Was thinking the same. Luckily I had explained to the young boys hogging the screen with me that there weren't any astronauts on board before it blew.
