That’s why it’s called a test flight!
It’s not a fail if they got data.
Social media comments are not part of the story, please refrain from making them so.
It would certainly appear that they have not solved the header tank low pressure issue from the first flight. SN8 at least got partial thrust from a second raptor during the flip and burn, but SN9 couldn’t even get a second raptor to ignite during this phase. Fortunately SpaceX has a hardware rich testing environ ?
2 replies
You mention “commentators on NASA’s live feed”. I believe you are referring to the NasaSpaceFlight coverage which is not actually affiliated with NASA. Just a minor nit.
But one Raptor was at full chat, so it’s less likely that there was a header tank issue. There were flames at the combustion chamber of the failed engine.
I agree with Richard here, one Raptor started and ran fine for the landing, the other never lit off. In contrast, for SN8 both lit but ran extremely LOX rich and one flamed out - I suspect different failures.
Did you see the landing gear deploy?
Why is it that Mr. Musk feels compelled to buck authority whenever it gets in his way? He (apparently) went ahead with this launch without the required FAA approval just like he ignored the State of California lockdown at his Tesla assembly plant in Fremont, CA during the spring surge of the pandemic? Is Musk simply “too big to govern”?
If you are twice blessed, why would you so deeply criticize someone trying hard to make a new aerospace system work? I’d say Musk is a PITA to work with at times, but he’s trying. I love him for that. It’s like he’s my neighbor, plus he’s got rockets.
Yeah their attitude is solid. This is what private enterprise is supposed to do, yet half our enthusiasm for Musk is due to the failure of two major sectors to deliver on supposed competition. Cars and rockets have been essentially stagnant for decades. It’s no wonder Tesla still hasn’t paid for an advertisement - people were yearning for something new and better.