Elon Musk Optimistic Starship Can Launch In Six Weeks After Failing Flying Test

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is quite satisfied with the first test flight from Starship some time ago. (photo: dock. spacex)

JAKARTA - SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, was quite satisfied with the first test flight from Starship some time ago, despite engine failures and other functions. Now, he is planning his next flight.

Through Spaces chat on Twitter last week, Musk reported the damage that actually happened quite small, but did cause the rocket to lose control.

"The results are roughly what I expected and may exceed my expectations a little bit. Overall, I really feel like it was a great flight," Musk said.

That hope, according to Musk, where the vehicle will exit the pad and get significant data during the flight, includes through maximum dynamical pressure or max-Q.

Musk predicts the company will be ready to make another launch attempt in about two months with a greater chance of reaching space.

The launch of the giant vehicle on April 20 caused some damage to SpaceX's launch pad, Boca Chica in South Texas and the surrounding environment.

Starship was launched into space aboard the Super Heavy rocket booster. A few minutes after takeoff, the spacecraft is expected to separate itself from the rocket booster, but the Super Heavy engine died during the test flight, causing it to lose altitude, and began to fall.

This event, according to SpaceX, is an unscheduled rapid demolition, or an euphemism often used for explosion accidents.

As a result of the termination of vehicle flights which usually only takes 40 seconds to work, spacecraft and boosters explode over the Gulf of Mexico.

The event could be a determining factor of how long the company will need to get a new Starship on the launch pad.

"The structural margin of vehicles seems to be better than we expected. As we know the vehicle is really turning around towards the end and still intact," Musk explained.

Delayed self-destruction is not the only problem. After the explosion, debris fell on about 385 hectares of land consisting of SpaceX and Boca Chica State Park facilities.

The latter resulted in a 3.5-hectare fire. Musk responded by saying there had been no damage from the failure of the launch.

"As far as we know, there has been no significant damage to the environment we are aware of," Musk said.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident and will stop Starship until any system, process, or procedure associated with the crash does not affect public safety.

"(We) will determine the root cause of the incident and identify the corrective actions that operators must take to avoid its recurrence," the US agency said.

SpaceX is not allowed to make other launch attempts from the Starship vehicle until the review is complete. It's not clear how long it will take. This was quoted from Engadget and CNN International, Tuesday, May 2.