SpaceX Blows Up Rocket At 2,000Km/h+ & Plans Another Test Soon

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After a launch scrub earlier this week, SpaceX successfully lifted off its Starship Super Heavy rocket from the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, as part of a historic test flight. The test was successful as the rocket's Super Heavy booster made its first flight and soared to the skies for most of the launch before failing during stage separation, which saw the rocket flip around in the air before exploding. The test was primarily an evaluation of the massive first-stage booster that was yet to fly, as SpaceX has already successfully tested the second-stage Starship multiple times as part of an aggressive testing campaign in 2021.

SpaceX had first attempted to fly Starship earlier this week after a couple of months of extreme speculation surrounding the orbital test flight attempt. However, the firm had to stand down minutes before launch. During today's launch, SpaceX's presenters explained that a pressurization valve on the Super Heavy booster prevented the rocket from taking off. This valve is responsible for pressurizing the booster's liquid oxygen tank, and it had moisture in it before the tank was filled up. Like Falcon 9, Starship uses super-cold liquid oxygen and methane to increase its performance, and the oxygen temperature caused the valve to freeze.

Today's launch countdown proceeded without significant hiccups, with the only hold coming forty seconds before liftoff. However, the launch director gave their go-ahead for takeoff and the count was reset to the forty-second mark. SpaceX's John Insprucker revealed that the firm faced pressurization problems with the Super Heavy's