A few days ago, SpaceX tested another prototype of the Starship spacecraft. But the test ended in a big failure, as it exploded during landing. Anyone who watched the live broadcast must have immediately known that something bad had happened. At one point, the image froze and a few seconds later a deafening bang was heard. We were only wiser later, when footage from the launch pad was published . Although there was a lot of fog in Boca Chica that day, a bright flash can be seen at one point. Then only debris falls to the ground. You can see footage from the failed test here , for example.
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But what can be done? Progress always comes with sacrifices, and although SpaceX is probably struggling with the latest test at the moment, the SN15 prototype has already made its way to the hangar in Boca Chica, Texas, which you can see in the video below the article and in the gallery on the side of this paragraph. Maybe only when you look at the footage will you really understand what these prototypes of the huge colossus are. In any case, you may be wondering why the next prototype is not called SN12, which is to be expected. This prototype is said to be a big technological step forward compared to its predecessors. Work is also underway on prototypes SN16, SN17 and SN18. After that, SN19 should be skipped and another significant change in technologies should be brought by SN20. It should even aim for orbit. Here, however, it is assumed that several attempts will be needed to successfully complete the test. So those who like explosions will probably find something to their liking. Let's keep our fingers crossed for SN15 and other prototypes.
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If we focus on the beginnings of testing, the first models resembled small water tanks, which fans named Starhoppers. They never flew higher than 150 meters . The first Starship models were called Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 and Mk4, which brought some improvements to the overall design compared to the Starhoppers. Mk3 was later renamed Starship Serial Number 1, i.e. SN1. This was followed by SN3 and SN4, which resembled stainless steel silos. Both models were destroyed on the launch pad during an unsuccessful engine test . The SN5 jump to 150 meters soon followed , which was successful. The success was then repeated by SN6 . In June 2020, however, the SN7 model exploded during a pressure test . The SN7.2 tank also failed a similar test . This was followed by tests that were much more interesting for the viewer, as jumps from this model already exceeded a height of 10 kilometers. SN8 , which launched in December, landed hard and exploded. SN9 did the same a few weeks later . SN10 landed successfully last month, but exploded after a few minutes. And the story of SN11 is still fresh. Are you following this SpaceX program?
coconut, do they have those ships like rolls in the supermarket?! where do they get them from? I would wait at least 6 months apart..