Summary
- Elon Musk claims the fiery end of Starship’s 2nd flight was due to venting liquid oxygen without a payload.
- He suggests a payload would have consumed the oxygen, preventing the fire and explosion.
- The writer questions the “venting causing fire” logic and highlights SpaceX’s iterative learning approach.
- Despite the explosion, SpaceX considers the launch a success due to technical achievements.
- Next launch planned soon, aiming for orbit and other ambitious goals.
- NASA’s Artemis program delays offer SpaceX potentially helpful extra time.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
SpaceX boss Elon Musk has blamed a lack of payload coupled with the venting of liquid oxygen for last year’s fiery end to the second flight of the company’s Starship and Super Heavy combo.
Still, the iterative approach used by SpaceX means the lessons will have been learned – Musk was keen to point out that the rocket did not destroy the launch pad this time around.
Musk told his audience that he reckoned there was a good chance of getting to orbit this time around, and listed a set of impressive goals for flight three.
It also wants to test transferring propellant between tanks – an essential milestone for SpaceX’s role in NASA’s Artemis program – and demonstrate the “Pez dispenser” payload door planned for full-sized Starlink satellites.
NASA recently confirmed that the Artemis program was slipping, with the first crewed landing now set for September 2026.
Despite Musk’s desire to reduce the gap between Starship launches and accelerate the cadence, SpaceX could certainly use the extra time.
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