Musk Explains Why SN10 Exploded; SpaceX Rolls Out SN11 Written 10 March 2021
SN9 on Suborbital Pad B, with the production facility in the background | Credit: Jared Krahn; Wikipedia; CC BY-SA 4.0
CNET News reports that on March 3, SpaceX “appeared to make a soft landing of” its Starship SN10 prototype, but several minutes after the landing, the rocket “exploded on the landing pad.” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that the landing was not as soft as it appeared, and that the prototype’s legs and part of the skirt were crushed during the landing. Musk also explained why the SN10 exploded after landing; he said in a tweet, “SN10 engine was low on thrust due (probably) to partial helium ingestion from fuel header tank. Impact of 10m/s crushed legs & part of skirt. Multiple fixes in work for SN11.”
Full Story (CNET News)