Fiery Crash: SpaceX’s SN9 Flight Test Ends Like SN8’s

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After a successful and visually impressive launch, SpaceX’s deep-space Starship SN9 prototype crashed on landing at the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. The final seconds of the flight appeared similar to the SN8’s, which impacted the pad when a header tank issue caused a power interruption leading to the vehicle losing control near the ground. As the ever-colorful SpaceX boss Elon Musk described it, SN8 suffered an RUD, for “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” 

Tuesday’s 7-minute flight of SN9 appeared routine though the launch, “hover” at the 10-KM apogee, followed by the “belly flop” maneuver that allows the vehicle to descend unpowered, attitude controlled aerodynamically. The final phase of the reusable rocket’s flight involved the so-called “flip and burn” maneuver, where the rocket reorients nose up and Raptor rocket motors slow its descent back to the pad. While the final evaluation has not been released, commentators on NASA’s live feed of the event believed that one of the Raptors did not ignite, leading to loss of control. 

SpaceX already has SN10 moved to the launch pad but will be held until the cause for SN9’s failure is determined. There was drama around the SN9 flight as Musk battled with the FAA over flight permits, and it was disclosed that the ill-fated SN8 launch was conducted without FAA approval. 

The three-motor Starship is actually the second stage of the Mars mission, which will be loaded atop the 236-foot Super Heavy lifter. Altogether, the Starship stack will be heavier and taller than the vaunted Saturn V/Apollo stack.

Marc Cook
KITPLANES Editor in Chief Marc Cook has been in aviation journalism for more than 30 years. He is a 4000-hour instrument-rated, multi-engine pilot with experience in nearly 150 types. He’s completed two kit aircraft, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glasair Sportsman 2+2, and currently flies a 2002 GlaStar.

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15 COMMENTS

    • Gee, Billy, not having a good life? Say something nice for a change.
      When we test jet engines, stuff goes wrong. Millions of dollars of stuff, sometimes.

      • Quite the contrary.

        I have been blessed by the Lord with an exceptional life, and an even better future.

        I just like Musk being exposed with another failure.

        And you can call me William.

        • If you are twice blessed, why would you so deeply criticize someone trying hard to make a new aerospace system work? I’d say Musk is a PITA to work with at times, but he’s trying. I love him for that. It’s like he’s my neighbor, plus he’s got rockets.

  1. “Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly” – you gotta love this guy! No cry and lament, just gather data, work out the bugs, and go again. And they will do it in days, not months or years as a federal program would. Private enterprise at its finest!

    • Yeah their attitude is solid. This is what private enterprise is supposed to do, yet half our enthusiasm for Musk is due to the failure of two major sectors to deliver on supposed competition. Cars and rockets have been essentially stagnant for decades. It’s no wonder Tesla still hasn’t paid for an advertisement – people were yearning for something new and better.

  2. It would certainly appear that they have not solved the header tank low pressure issue from the first flight. SN8 at least got partial thrust from a second raptor during the flip and burn, but SN9 couldn’t even get a second raptor to ignite during this phase. Fortunately SpaceX has a hardware rich testing environ 😊

    • But one Raptor was at full chat, so it’s less likely that there was a header tank issue. There were flames at the combustion chamber of the failed engine.

    • I agree with Richard here, one Raptor started and ran fine for the landing, the other never lit off. In contrast, for SN8 both lit but ran extremely LOX rich and one flamed out – I suspect different failures.

  3. You mention “commentators on NASA’s live feed”. I believe you are referring to the NasaSpaceFlight coverage which is not actually affiliated with NASA. Just a minor nit.

  4. Why is it that Mr. Musk feels compelled to buck authority whenever it gets in his way? He (apparently) went ahead with this launch without the required FAA approval just like he ignored the State of California lockdown at his Tesla assembly plant in Fremont, CA during the spring surge of the pandemic? Is Musk simply “too big to govern”?

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