SpaceX's 4/20 started and ended with a bang.
The space company went through with the launch of its Starship mega-rocket despite the technical issues it was recently plagued with, resulting in a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" in mid-air.
Despite the result, it is still within SpaceX's expectations, again due to the rocket's many technical difficulties the day before the launch.
The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023.
SpaceX Starship Test Launch Details
Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!
Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months. pic.twitter.com/gswdFut1dK— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023
SpaceX's launch of its Starship mega-rocket initially went without a hitch, per Space.com. The rocket's engines - all 33 of its first-stage Raptor engines - lifted it as soon as the countdown to 9:33 AM EDT, carrying the rocket high up into the Texas sky.
However, the two main parts of the rocket, the Super Heavy First Stage, Booster 7, and the upper-stage Starship prototype, Ship 24, didn't separate as intended. Instead, it remained connected and began to tumble mid-air, forcing SpaceX to have the rocket self-destruct in mid-air four minutes after liftoff as a form of "rapid unscheduled disassembly" - also known as an explosion.
SpaceX later wrote in an update that its Starship mega-rocket experienced "multiple engines out" during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble. Due to these circumstances, SpaceX had to initiate the rocket's flight termination system on both its booster and Ship 24 prototype Starship.
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The explosion is an expected result for the company's employees, though. You may recall that SpaceX's commentator said that should the rocket launch as planned, the public could either see one or a combination of three things: a "scrub," a launch, or a rapid unscheduled disassembly.
The reason why SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, decided to launch its Starship mega-rocket anyway despite the technical issues plaguing days before isn't as surprising as you may think. In fact, not only is SpaceX not expecting everything to work out, but it is also happy about the result, including CEO Elon Musk, if you could believe it.
SpaceX Principal Integration Engineer John Insprucker mentioned during the company's live stream that the goal of Starship's first launch is to test its capabilities, gather data, "clear the pad, and get ready to go again."
In simpler terms: SpaceX is willing to go through the gold old trial-and-error process to get the results they want eventually.
What's Next For SpaceX?
Despite the explosion, SpaceX is forging ahead to get the results they want and eventually bring humans to Mars. It is already producing multiple Starship vehicles at its South Texas site, Starbase, for them to launch at later dates.
When exactly will SpaceX's next Starship mega-rocket will see the launchpad again is still unclear, but Musk stated in his recent tweets about the launch that it could happen in a few months.
Should SpaceX be successful in launching its Starship mega-rocket sometime in the foreseeable future, a crewed launch could soon follow suit in a few short years since NASA selected Starship to be the first crewed lander for its Artemis moon program, specifically Artemis 3 - the mission that would put humanity back on the surface of the moon.
Related Article: SpaceX's Starship May Not Launch on 4/20
