SpaceX: Trials & Errors
The latest in the SpaceX company’s “Starship” series of prototypes dramatically failed another pressure test at their research and development facility in Boca Chica, Texas, February 28th, 2020. SpaceX is just one of the many brain-children of our modern-day polymath Elon Musk, “founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.”i Though other models of SpaceX vehicles have successfully exited and reentered Earth’s atmosphere, their Starship series is being designed around human commercial spaceflight.
This was the most recent teachable moment to happen on the launch pad since the last explosion on November 20th, 2019. Both tests were designed to pressurize the space vehicle to its limits in preparation for launch and flight tests. Last week’s test, however, was supposed to be the final test that would move the current design of Starship into its next phase. On Twitter over the weekend, SpaceX guru Elon Musk posted a video of the explosion along with some comic relief on the matter; "It's fine, we'll just buff it out," and “Where’s Flextape when you need it!?”ii In November, he’d hoped to achieve orbit using the then prototype within half a year, with human passengers by the following year. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
The pressure tests are carried out on the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket, which combine into a fully reusable transportation system,iii by filling the chamber of the rocket with tons of supercooled liquid. Viewers during the most tests were able to see the rocket venting vapor before it jumped off the launchpad and collapsed in on itself on both occasions. SpaceX has been focused exclusively on flight design for the new stainless-steel rocket, according to their cheerleader-in-chief, Mr. Musk.
The end-result of these trials and errors is supposed to serve as the first commercial starship, hence the name, Starship. The number of prototypes that came before these tests can be held as a testament to how many will surely come after. There’s a reason for Elon to smile, even in failure, because measurements and observations were made, and specifications will be improved upon. There’s no shortage of will, ideas, or money when it comes to Elon Musk’s endeavors.
The next test is never too far off, so I’ll keep watching out for their failures while hoping for success. SpaceX of course has big plans to land on the moon and even Mars after perfecting commercial space travel at who knows what expense. If sovereign nations were keen on what’s about to happen in the next few decades, or mere years if you ask Elon, they’d start regulating the future end-product that is space travel. Now’s the time to install such forward looking provisions into law so that companies and the privileged few that will enjoy their services can get used to the ideas behind such extreme luxury.
Commercial space flight is happening, and there’s more than just SpaceX going after our attention and apparently our trust-funds if you think we can afford what it will cost. Jeff Bezos has a hand in the space travel cookie jar with his Blue Origin project and their latest iteration of New Shepard designs that they have in development in Huntsville, Alabama.iv SpaceX is still looking to outpace competitors by opening another facility near Orlando in Cocoa, Florida, in the near future.
i https://www.spacex.com/about
ii https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1234396086581809152
