Elon Musk just Changed SpaceX’s Plans On Booster 7 After Explosion At Launch Tower
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Turn out, Elon Musk and SpaceX benefited from the most recent explosion of Booster 7 on the launch pad.
After that unexpected incident, SpaceX appears to be a bit more confident and decided to attempt to recover the first Super Heavy booster that launches with a giant mechanized ‘launch tower’ nicknamed Mechazilla.
Just Wow!
But why did Elon Musk make such a daring abrupt plan change?
Let’s find out in today’s episode of the Alpha Tech channel:
The fireball last week sent the SpaceX Super Heavy booster back to the factory.
With a heaping serving of luck, Booster 7 made it through the event (mostly) intact. By the time Super Heavy was removed from the launch mount the next day (July 14th), however, it became clear that the situation wasn’t quite as optimal.
Instead, Booster 7’s aft engine section was clearly damaged, with some of the dozens of thermal protection panels enclosing 33 Raptor engines apparently torn off or knocked askew by the July 11th blast. Given the tight fit and relatively heavy-duty nature of some of those panels, deformation could easily damage some of the more sensitive plumbing and components on Raptor engines. The day prior, teams spent hours tearing out unexpectedly fragile components of Booster 7’s hidden aft heat shielding and even removed and replaced one of its Raptors in-situ.
More likely than not, all Raptor engines with minor damage can be repaired and reused on a future booster.
Importantly, the explosion gave SpaceX invaluable data that can be used to improve the durability and performance of Raptor and Super Heavy’s heat shield. Nonetheless, a methodical inspection of Booster 7’s aft end could easily take a week or two. If more chronic damage is discovered or the whole aft heat shield or a large number of Raptors
Elon Musk just Changed SpaceX’s Plans On Booster 7 After Explosion At Launch Tower
