SN9 Launch

16 Second into SN9 Flight

On February 2, 2021, SpaceX launched the SN9 Starship prototype from the company’s launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. SN9 lifted off at 2:25 local time (12:25 PST). At first, the 165-foot tall rocket seemed to be flying just fine. As part of the flight plan, SN9 would reach an altitude of 6.2 miles (10 km) and perform a horizontal flip in the sky (This is the procedure that would occur during an operational reentry in the Earth’s atmosphere for Starship.).

SN9 Lifting Off Next to SN10

But everything didn’t go according to plan. SN9 wasn’t able to slow itself down fast enough for the landing. The launch vehicle hit the ground and exploded like the SN8. It is not known why the landing for SN9 failed. The landing for SN8 failed because the LOx (liquid oxygen) was low on the pressure to be used for fuel. SpaceX has said that they were able to gather a lot of information from today’s launch that they will use in the SN10 launch, which is predicted to occur soon.

SN9 Exploding on Impact with the Ground

SpaceX’s final product will be Starship, which I have talked about before but I will recap it. Starship will take people and payloads to the Moon, and eventually Mars. Starship will also be able to fly below the atmosphere, like a flight from New York to London. Starship is made up of two components: the spaceship called Starship and the rocket known as Super Heavy. The final version of Starship will be powered by six Raptor engines. The Super Heavy will use 30 Raptor engines. This is because Starship will need enough power to launch itself from the Moon and Mars.

Earlier, it was predicted that SN9 would launch in early to mid-January. However, the launch was delayed because the Federal Aviation Administration did an investigation on SN8 and whether SpaceX violated their license. The SN8 launch was the first three-engine vehicle and performed SpaceX’s first high-altitude test flight in the Starship program. The specific part that violated the FAA’s license was the landing, as it was seen as unsafe because SN8 blew up. The FAA will also investigate SN9’s flight due to the failed landing attempt.

SN9 Performing Horizontal Manuvear

It is predicted that SpaceX will want to launch SN10 very soon. It was put on the Starship test pad a few weeks ago. Pre-launch testing is expected to happen later this week. SN11 is also currently under construction right now so that SpaceX. With this rapid prototyping, Starship could be launching to the Moon and Mars as soon as 2026. Here is a link to the SN9 launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zZ7fIkpBgs&t=354s.

Sources:

SpaceX. “Starship | SN9 | High-Altitude Flight Test.” Youtube, 2 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zZ7fIkpBgs&t=354s. 

Wall, Mike. “SpaceX's Starship SN9 Prototype Launches to 10 Km, Crashes during Landing.” Space.com, Space, 2 Feb. 2021, www.space.com/spacex-starship-sn9-test-flight-launch-explosion.