Fernanda Gonzalez
April 21, 2023
Last Thursday, SpaceX launched the first fully integrated Starship Super Heavy rocket from the Boca Chica area. However, moments before the separation, it began to tumble.
The first flight attempt was scheduled at 8 a.m Monday.
40 seconds before the launch, the team called it a “scrub,” which means a temporary delay.
After many checks and testing, the launch was rescheduled for April 20. As it successfully launched, 4 minutes later, moments before the separation between the booster and the starship, the vehicle began to tumble due to some of the engines being out.
Located in Texas, Starship was the largest and latest rocket to this date. Its intention was to be a reusable transportation system that could transport cargo and crew to the Earth’s orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
To learn more about this event, Vaquero Radio interviewed members of the Rocket Launchers, a proud UTRGV organization providing hands-on aerospace engineering experience for students aspiring to work in the industry.
Outreach Director for the Rocket Launchers, Miguel Olvera explained his participation in the rocket and how SpaceX has impacted his education.
“I’ve got to build parts of the launchpad, and then I’ve got to build parts of the starship, I am excited about it.” Olvera said, “In terms of the engineering program here, SpaceX being around here is a great thing.”
Team Captain of the Rocket Launchers Ryan Lopez expressed his excitement for the launch.
“It’s really interesting to see all of this happening at once, the excitement is definitely there in the local community and also in the space community as a whole. This is the biggest, most powerful rocket ever to be tested.”
Even though starship airtime was short, SpaceX expressed that this event helped them gather as much data as possible.
SpaceX explained on its official website “That the vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble. The flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship”
For future launch dates and news, you can visit SpaceX.com.
This is Fernanda Gonzalez for Vaquero Radio.
