On Friday morning, SpaceX’s Starship Booster, designated Booster 18, experienced significant damage during an early test. While this incident was less severe compared to a prior explosion involving a Starship upper stage in June, it still raised concerns about the rocket’s development timeline.
Details of the Test Incident
The recent test did not result in widespread destruction to the infrastructure, nor were any Raptor engines installed on the vehicle at the time. However, the damage to the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank section of Booster 18 was very substantial.
Importance of the Starship Development Program
SpaceX aims to accelerate the Starship development program, targeting a regular flight schedule by 2026. Achieving this milestone is essential for the company’s ambitions and goals, which include:
- Regular and reliable Starship flights.
- A demonstration of booster landing and reuse.
- An upper stage tower catch, expected next year.
- Operational missions for Starlink deployment.
- A test campaign supporting NASA’s Artemis Program.
Timeline for Upcoming Milestones
To keep the Artemis Moon landing program on track, SpaceX and NASA plan an on-orbit refueling test of Starship, scheduled for the second half of 2026. Following this, a crewed lunar landing for NASA is anticipated in 2028.
Despite these aspirations, the recent setback raises questions about the feasibility of this timeline, which already seemed ambitious.
SpaceX’s Response to Setbacks
SpaceX has a reputation for quickly diagnosing failures and addressing issues to minimize downtime. Engineers are likely analyzing data from the recent test to understand what went wrong with Booster 18. The company’s resilience and available resources are significant advantages.
Conclusion
The Starship program has been in development since 2023, with prior successful flights marking its progress. However, losing the first stage during initial testing phases is a notable setback for a program with extensive objectives ahead.
