BOCA CHICA, Texas (KVEO) — Starship SN11 took flight Tuesday morning, despite foggy conditions.
SN11 successfully took flight at 8 a.m. but exploded upon descent above the landing pad, due to an anomaly during the landing sequence, reports said.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated engine 2 had issues on ascent and mentioned they will examine the ‘bits.’
A high production rate solves many ills
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2021
Looks like engine 2 had issues on ascent & didn’t reach operating chamber pressure during landing burn, but, in theory, it wasn’t needed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2021
Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today.
The fourth high-altitude test, from the SpaceX Boca Chica site, could hardly be seen by spectators. However, they could hear the engines.
Spectator, Michael Harris said this was his third attempt at watching SN11 take flight.
While the rocket was not visible through the fog, he says he was impressed by the sound and smell.
A few minutes after the explosion, spectator Jessa Koppenhofer witnessed a piece of debris fall from the sky.
Wind carried what is believed to be a piece of insulation from the rocket to Isla Blanca Park.
If you believe you have found SpaceX debris, please report it to the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or recovery@spacex.com.
Watch the high-altitude test flight below, at minute 05:02 you can hear a ‘boom’:
SpaceX had previously scheduled the SN11 test on Monday, but had to postpone as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was unable to reach the Starbase in time for launch, said Elon Musk on Twitter.
The launch test of SN10 had a successful flight and landing, however it exploded moments later due to reports of a methane leak.