Elon Musk Predicted Yesterday That SpaceX’s Starship Could Catch Fire – Like It Did
This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
SpaceX and Elon Musk suspected that the upper stage Starship's forward flap could catch fire during today's flight, according to previously unreleased footage shared by YouTube creator Tim Dodd on X earlier today. Dodd's channel interviewed Musk ahead of today's test flight as part of a series where Musk provides updates and shares details about SpaceX's activities in its Starbase facilities in Texas. SpaceX's fully stacked Starship rocket took to the skies earlier today, and the test met all primary objectives that SpaceX had set before launch.
SpaceX's Second Stage Starship Fire Could Be Due To Hot Gas Making Its Way In A Gap
One of the hardest systems on a rocket or a spacecraft is a heat shield since engineers are unable to test full scale models at the conditions that a vehicle faces on reentry while the ship is on Earth. This means that heat shield development often extends late into a spacecraft's developmental cycle. SpaceX's first crewed Dragon launch in 2020 surprised engineers due to anomalous damage, and NASA's Orion spacecraft also suffers from cavitation.
Related Story SpaceX’s Fourth Starship Test Sees Successful Booster Landing, Robust Ship Performance
Similarly, the second stage Starship could not survive atmospheric reentry during its third flight. The ship's heat shield design sees SpaceX using thousands of tiles to cover its wind-facing surface and fins, and any gaps in the tile application can have untoward consequences.
During Starship's launch earlier today, the ship's forward flap, which is located on top of the rocket, caught fire. This provided unique visuals of a rocket on fire while traveling thousands of kilometers per hour in the upper regions of the Earth's atmosphere.
In his interview with Everyday Astronaut, Musk shared that SpaceX had anticipated the issue beforehand. According to him, the hinge
Read more on wccftech.com
