SpaceX’s Starship rocket system reached several milestones in its second test flight before the rocket booster and spacecraft exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket system reached several milestones in its second test flight before the rocket booster and spacecraft exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.

  • neveraskedforthis@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    7 months ago

    Fully reusable super-heavy rockets with multiple full stage combustion engines running on Methane have been done before? You mind sharing sources because I can’t find any.

    Closest thing I can think of is the Soviet N1 rocket (about 2/3 the thrust of Starship) which the Soviets really struggled with and ended up abandoning, and it wasn’t even close to being reusable.

    • BearOfaTime@lemm.eeEnglish
      41·
      7 months ago

      Didn’t the N1 have a massive launch pad failure that we still don’t know how many people it killed?

      • neveraskedforthis@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        7 months ago

        Can’t find any reference to anyone dying or getting injured, but in terms of pad damage it definitely takes the cake.

        The first Starship may have put a hole in the pad, but the N1 obliterated it.