Author's Summary
Starship Flight 8 marked a dramatic SpaceX milestone, soaring over 12 kilometers despite a hard crash, ultimately validating Elon Musk's rapid testing approach amid engine troubles. (148 characters)
Flight Overview
Starship Flight 8 stood out as one of SpaceX's most intense test missions. The vehicle climbed above 12 kilometers prior to carrying out its maneuvers. Though it ended in a crash, the test highlighted key progress.
Key Events and Failure
A flash appeared near a center sea-level Raptor engine roughly 5.5 minutes into ascent, sparking an energetic event. This caused the engine to shut down, followed by two other sea-level Raptors and one vacuum Raptor, leading to loss of control. Communication dropped about 9.5 minutes in, before destruct activation.
The most probable root cause for the loss of Starship was identified as a hardware failure in one of the upper stage’s center Raptor engines that resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition.
Booster Success
The Super Heavy booster nailed its third catch by the launch tower arms. Issues with engine relight during boost-back and landing stemmed from torch ignition problems due to thermal factors.
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