The launch of the “Super Heavy/Starship” rocket failed. This was the first attempt to use the new type of rocket. was scheduled to take place at 15:28 Norwegian time. SpaceX announced at 15:27 that they were taking a break in the countdown. The break is over. The reason for the break was, among other things, a problem with pressurizing a fuel tank. All problems should be resolved, reports SpaceX at 15:32. SpaceX can keep the rocket in this pause state for fifteen minutes. Today’s launch window is 62 minutes long. The rocket is filled with fuel. The rocket has 4,500 tons of liquid oxygen and liquid methane. – Don’t expect success. This probably won’t go well. It’s a very difficult thing to do, Elon Musk said earlier this week. The first attempt on Tuesday failed. Then it was a frozen valve that stopped the performance. SpaceX reports that there was some moisture in the vent, and this froze to ice when they started filling the rocket with the super-cold fuel. It has taken 48 hours to get everything ready for another attempt. BIGGER THAN ANYTHING ELSE: At 120 meters, the Super Heavy/Starship is bigger than the rockets that brought people to the moon. Photo: SPACEX / Reuters The world’s largest rocket rises a full 120 meters above the ground. At the start time, it will be filled with 4,600 tonnes of liquid methane and oxygen. An explosion can destroy the launch tower if it occurs right after the engines are ignited. The engines in the first stage produce a thrust of a whopping 74 meganewtons. That is as much as 300 regular passenger aircraft of the Boeing 737 NG type. A lot can stop today’s attempts. SpaceX is particularly looking at the wind. There is a danger that the wind at different heights has too much variation for a launch to take place. A wide range of technical errors can also occur. Ports in the sea Both “Super Heavy” and “Starship” are designed to be reusable. During testing, they will still be destroyed. The two are launched as one unit. After just over two minutes, “Starship” will be separated from “Super Heavy”. SpaceX wants to show off a lot during the first journey. Among other things the following: That the launch vehicle manages to transport the vessel into space. That the launch vehicle is capable of soft landing on Earth. That the vessel can survive a return from space. “Super Heavy” will simulate a landing. It will take place in the sea directly east of the launch site. The rocket will slow down and reach zero vertical velocity right at the surface. There it will tip over and sink. “Starship” will use its own engines to nearly reach the speed it needs to get into orbit. Over the Pacific Ocean, it will hit the atmosphere. If it survives this, it will float down towards the surface of the sea. The meeting will be so brutal that the “Starship” will be destroyed. SpaceX expects the craft to explode. “Starship” will not attempt to simulate a landing.
ttn-69