SpaceX drops a new close-up look at the full flight of Starship SN10
It's rare that a prototype gets its own glamour reel.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The SN10... before the explosion.
The most recent high-altitude test flight of a SpaceX Starship saw the prototype SN10 fly to a height of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) and then come back down and stick a rough landing for the first time. Its last two predecessors -- SN9 and SN8 -- exploded on impact, a fate that SN10 delayed until at least several minutes after touching down.
Now SpaceX has released a new video recap of the flight of SN10 that includes some never before seen on-board perspectives from midflight.
The two-minute video provides one of the closest looks we've seen yet of Starship's Raptor engines at work. We also get to see Starship's flaps doing their thing.
Keep an eye out for the little burst of green flames from one of the Raptors just before landing. Elon Musk says this was an indication that something was about to go very wrong with SN10. And ultimately it did explode on the landing pad several minutes later, taking an unscheduled second flight.
Notably, this recap omits the fireworks at the end that sent SN10 to oblivion.
Perhaps it's better to remember this noble rocket sitting there proudly, if a little crooked, on the landing pad. Even prototypes deserve a little dignity.
SpaceX is currently prepping SN11 for a follow-up test flight that could come as soon as Friday.
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