The third flight of the SpaceX megarocket was lost

The first two tests ended with spectacular explosions in “successful failures”. The third lasted much longer than the previous ones but did not reach its end. SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket, the world’s tallest and most powerful, It took off again at 2:25 p.m. French time this Thursday from Boca Chica in the far south of Texas. The flight can also be observed live after the take-off phase.

The company announced on Thursday the end of the third test flight of its megarocket, which nevertheless flew much longer than its previous two flights, except that the test flight was “lost” during re-entry on its way down to Earth. tests

“The ship is lost,” announced one commentator during a live video from billionaire Elon Musk’s company. “So there is no landing today,” he added. According to the flight plan the ship was supposed to end its course in the Indian Ocean.

Some ambitious initial objectives

For this third test, whose ultimate goal is to colonize Mars, SpaceX said it wants to accomplish several “ambitious objectives.” Among them: conducting a “controlled re-entry” of the ship, which, after about an hour, must fall back into the Indian Ocean to end the test.

According to FAA documents, the ship was expected to “disintegrate” upon impact with the sea surface, with most of the debris submerged. The first phase was also believed to have plunged into the ocean (much earlier) after separation.

Refueling is required

SpaceX also intended to test hatch openings that could be used in the future to release cargo, for example satellites, into space. The company wanted to “demonstrate fuel transfer” in flight. This task must be developed, because to reach the moon, the starship has to refuel once in space, thanks to the ship previously filled by others, and it serves as a kind of space service station.

For these tests, the prototypes used did not carry any cargo. And SpaceX has already built countless copies of its rocket. SpaceX’s development methodology differs from that of traditional companies and national space agencies. Unlike the latter, which works with taxpayer money, SpaceX uses its own funds, which allows it to take more risks.

The company also has an iterative development technique, based on sequential tests strung together at a rapid pace – even if they end up in an impressive ball of fire. Lessons learned then allow changes to be made quickly. With each test, “we learn something new,” Elon Musk declared in a speech to employees in January. “It is always better to sacrifice material than to sacrifice time. »

Six more flights this year

The development of SpaceX’s Falcon rocket, which dominates the American launch market today with 96 successful missions by 2023, was also based on multiple failed tests. Apart from its disproportionate size, the real innovation of the starship is that it must ultimately be completely reusable. Currently, only the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket returns to the ground for reuse after each launch.

Being able to fly the Starship’s two stages multiple times would allow for more frequent launches, and being able to “colonize” Mars — for less money — is imperative, according to Elon Musk. The boss, always optimistic in terms of schedule, said this week that he hoped Starship would make “six more flights this year”.