A Frozen Valve Prevents SpaceX From Launching Its Starship At The Last Minute

(CTN News) – A test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, a huge, stainless steel rocket that could transport humans to the moon and Mars, has been cancelled.

During a 150-minute window on Monday morning, the first launch attempt was scheduled for South Texas. The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, announced just about 10 minutes before liftoff that a valve appeared to be frozen, which rendered the mission impossible.

According to the company, the issue occurred in the spacecraft’s super-heavy booster. It is powered by 33 engines working in synchronization to lift the 400-foot-tall rocket into the air.

MIT’s space propulsion laboratory director Paulo Lozano says the use of such a large number of engines is a trade-off.

Having a large number of rocket engines firing simultaneously is a significant challenge, he says.

SpaceX has chosen methane as its fuel, which presents additional challenges. Hydrogen is commonly used for fuel in high-powered rockets because it is lightweight and highly efficient, according to Lozano. The production of methane is more cost-effective and easier than the production of hydrogen.

However, the rocket’s methane and oxygen oxidizer must be chilled to extremely low temperatures, which may explain the frozen valve.

In order to prepare for the next launch, SpaceX will require at least 48 hours, according to systems engineer Kate Tice. It is expected that the team will try again “in a few days.”.

In a tweet during Monday’s launch countdown, SpaceX said, “With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we are able to learn, which will inform future development of Starship and enhance the probability of success in the future.” As a wet dress rehearsal, the team continued to go through the motions until the engines were ignited.

As CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk will be addressing a mission that is of paramount importance.

As Musk stood in front of the giant rocket about a year ago, he said, “Eventually the Sun will expand and destroy all life.” Musk continued, “It is essential that we become a multiplanetary species in the long term.”

Musk hopes that Starship will provide a critical step towards becoming a multiplanetary system by making it possible to move large payloads into orbit at a relatively low cost. Someday, he hopes to transport people to Mars aboard Starship.

Additionally, SpaceX has a business interest in seeing its mammoth rocket take off. The Starship could be used to launch large quantities of the company’s internet-provider “Starlink” satellites.

Tim Farrar, the president of TMF associates, a telecom consulting firm, believes that Starlink is a crucial part of SpaceX’s future.

A version of the Starship is also being developed by SpaceX for a lunar mission, though it is still several years away from going to the moon.

As Farrar notes, Starship is being launched at a difficult time for the tech industry. Currently, SpaceX is raising additional capital to continue the development of Starship and Starlink.

For now, investors appear to be happy for SpaceX to test its massive, potentially interplanetary rocket. As Farrar points out, if the launch fails and the Starship is further delayed, it could negatively affect SpaceX’s entire business.

The risks associated with SpaceX appear to be understood by the company. Many rockets have blown up during testing in the past, a development strategy that has worked well for them in the past.

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