SpaceX successfully launched the third Integrated Flight Test (IFT) of a Starship this morning from the company’s Starbase test facility in Boca Chica, TX. With the launch, IFT-3 became the first Starship mission to reach orbit. Hopes ran high for the test mission as the countdown to the 8:25 AM CDT launch proceeded flawlessly with no holds.
Precisely on queue, all of Starship’s 33 Raptor Engines Starship ignited and propelled the behemoth rocket into the Texas sky.
Starship Test Flight Milestones
A major test milestone was reached when Starship’s booster separated successfully, demonstrating the company’s new “hot staging” technology for only the second time. A failure of the stages to separate led to the vehicle’s loss in the first test flight only last year. “Hot staging, which involves the firing of the second stage’s engines to facilitate stage separation, was the company’s solution and was first tested on IFT-2 last November.
The six engines on Starship’s second stage ignited right on time, sending the spacecraft easily into orbit. Following stage separation, the booster performed a perfect boost-back burn and began a controlled descent back to Earth.
First Stage Completes Test Most Objectives, Fails Landing Burn
Following boost-back burn, which orients the booster correctly for its descent profile, the booster entered a period of freefall while the booster’s flight control system correctly steered the stage along a predetermined descent corridor. Unfortunately, all of the booster’s descent engines did not reignite as expected. The failure resulted in the booster impacting the ocean at a high rate of speed rather than simulating a soft landing as expected.
After reaching orbit for the first time with Starship, SpaceX guided Starship through a series of on-orbit tests and technology demonstrations. While the final result of those tests will not be known until the telemetry is examined, several appeared to go well.
The Pez Dispenser
Shortly after reaching orbit, the Starship’s second stage completed the first ever test of the “Pez dispenser”. The Pez dispenser is the nickname given to the payload doors, which will allow the deployment of future Starlink satellites for the company. It is so named because the narrow slit used to dispense the satellites resembles the Pez candy dispenser.
In Flight Propellant Transfer A Key Objective
Another major test objective was checked off when Starship transferred propellant between tanks while in orbit. This was a first for spaceflight and a necessary technological demonstration for future Starship missions. One of the many uses of Starship will be to act as an “orbital gas station” with the ability to refuel other Starships and future spacecraft in flight. This will allow future rockets to launch with a much heavier payload, as they won’t have to carry as much fuel into space. The technology is considered an essential part of NASA’s Artemis program.
Raptor Engine Test Omitted
Flight controllers elected to skip an experiment designed to test the Raptor engines’ ability to shut down and later relight while in flight. It is not yet clear what led to the decision. The capability is mission-essential for the newly designed engine and will presumably be tested on the next mission.
Reentry Maneuvers May Have Signaled Trouble
At just over 40 minutes of flight, Starship’s guidance fins began reorienting the spacecraft for reentry. This was a critical test of the fins, as this mission reached orbital speeds that were the fastest ever flown. During the maneuvers, high-definition video from the vehicle showed a large amount of debris flying from the ship, which appeared to possibly be heat shield tiles. Onboard cameras recorded several showers of ice and other debris streaming from the vehicle during this phase of testing.
Cameras Captured Beautiful Plasma Photos
SpaceX’s cameras captured some incredible video showing the plasma buildup around the vehicle as it descended through the atmosphere. Telemetry was lost during an expected “blackout period” due to the plasma, a common phenomenon on all reentries.
Vehicle Lost During Blackout Period
Unfortunately, communication was never reestablished, and the ship was lost sometime during that period as it fell toward the Indian Ocean. While the official reason may not be known for some time, thermal tile loss during reentry may have contributed. (Author’s opinion).
Despite the eventual loss of the vehicle, the third Integrated test flight of Starship was a huge win for SpaceX with the demonstration of several new technologies and the vast amount of data gathered. As one SpaceX commentator put it, “The payload is the data.”
