SpaceX is set to launch its eighth test flight of the Starship rocket this Friday, a program that could be considered revolutionary since NASA’s Apollo missions. The company had a successful launch on January 16, but it did not go as smoothly as anticipated due to the loss of the upper stage during ascension.
The cause of the failure has been identified by SpaceX, which points to “flashes” observed after vehicle separation that indicated a leak in the attic section of the upper stage. The flashes were detected by sensors and led to pressure rises indicative of a leak. This was followed by sustained fires that caused Starship’s engines to shut down, resulting in communication loss with the ship.
According to SpaceX, the most probable root cause of the failure was a harmonic response several times stronger than during testing, which put increased stress on hardware in the propulsion system. The subsequent propellant leaks exceeded the venting capability of the ship’s attic area and led to sustained fires.
Despite this setback, SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Starship rocket again soon, with CEO Elon Musk noting that it may be the second of potentially 25 launches planned for 2025.
Source: https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-explains-reasoning-for-starship-7-upper-stage-loss