SpaceX's Starship Test Flight Causes Serious Damage to Launch Site in Texas

On Thursday, April 20, SpaceX conducted its first test flight of Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, at its Texas launch site. While the 390-foot-tall (120-meter) rocket successfully lifted off and climbed for about four minutes until it tumbled and exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, the launch caused serious damage to the launch site. Repairing the damage is expected to take several months and could potentially delay further launch attempts.

Damage from the Test Flight

The test flight caused flying chunks of concrete, twisted metal sheets, and craters blasted deep into the ground, leading to a scene of desolation around the launch pad. During takeoff, SpaceX video showed a hail of debris being blasted as far as the Gulf of Mexico, over 1,400 feet (420 meters) away. According to local press reports, a cloud of dust floated over a small town several miles (kilometers) away. Photos of the launch site show the gigantic launch tower still standing while the rocket mount, which supports Starship before liftoff, was damaged but still intact. Beneath it, however, lies a huge crater, images posted on social media showed.

Musk's Comments

SpaceX boss Elon Musk had said before the test that just getting Starship in the air without destroying its launch pad would be "a win." But Musk conceded Saturday on Twitter, "The force of the engines when they throttled up may have shattered the concrete, rather than simply eroding it." He also said that SpaceX had begun building "a massive water-cooled steel plate to go under the launch mount," but it "wasn't ready in time," and engineers "wrongly" calculated that the pad could still withstand the test.

Repairing the Damage

According to Olivier de Weck, a professor of astronautics and engineering at MIT, repairing the damage caused by the test flight will take several months. De Weck also said that Starship's launch site, unlike others used for such large rockets, lacked a "water deluge system," which is used to flood the pad with water, cooling it and absorbing shock and sound waves. The Texas site also lacks what is known as a flame trench, tunnels that channel hot exhaust away from the pad.

Metzger's Comments

Scientist Philip Metzger, who previously worked for NASA on launch pad physics, said he thought the steel plate plan could have been "a good solution," but "the problem is that this is such a large rocket and it takes so long to get off the pad," that the heat from the rocket's 33 engines "possibly could melt the steel." That could be solved by pumping water through channels in the steel, "so long as they have a high enough flow rate," said Metzger, now a professor at the University of Central Florida.

FAA Investigation

Before its next test flight, SpaceX will need to determine the exact problems behind Thursday's test. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is leading an investigation into the explosion, has confirmed that no injuries resulted from Thursday's test. The US agency has said that no new tests will be approved if there is any threat to public safety. De Weck noted that SpaceX will also have to persuade the FAA to authorize a new flight.