The third high-altitude test of a SpaceX spacecraft prototype ended with a successful landing on March 3, and then moments later, it ended a second time with a bang.
But TThe SN10, as the prototype was known, joined its two more recent predecessors in the fiery great beyond, still being celebrated as a hit for becoming Elon Musk’s first to Mars Spaceship prototypes to paste the landing. On Tuesday, Musk took to Twitter to elaborate on why the SN10 they got in a bit too hot, and clarified that a series of arrangements was It is already in the works for the next prototype in the series, the SN11.
“The SN10 engine had low thrust due (probably) to partial ingestion of helium from the fuel head tank, ”Musk tweeted. “Impact of crushed legs at 10 m / s and part of the skirt “.
In subsequent tweets, Musk confirmed that the helium ingestion was likely the result of to pressurization system that had been added to the CH4 collecting tank to correct an error that had previously occurred with the SN8.
“If autogenous pressurization had been used, the CH4 bubbles would most likely have turned into liquid, ”Musk said. wrote. “Helium was used in the header to prevent the collapse of empty space from splashing, which happened on a previous flight. My fault for passing. It sounded good at the time. “
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Video footage launch and subsequent soft landing of the SN10 at the SpaceX test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, shows the rocket coming for a quick landing before settling into a inclined angle, a little on fire. Almost a minute later successfully completing the test flight, the rocket explodes in a massive fireball.
Musk’s tweet came in response to a series of photos tweeted by a photographer that appear to capture SpaceX employees testing the landing legs of the SN11 in order to to ensure they will be deployed properly as you prepare for your own impending test flight. Although SN11 is currently on the launch pad in Boca Chica, SpaceX has do not still confirmed exactly when the next flight test is scheduled to occur, although some industry experts estimate that it could be ready to have lunch as soon like next week.