The booster blew up real good in the immediate moments following stage separation.
This venting procedure was performed on account of Starship not carrying any cargo, he said.
Flight 2 actually almost made it to orbit, Musk claimed.
Starship during stage separation, November 18, 2023.Image: SpaceX
Musks embellishment notwithstanding, this venting procedure would normally be unnecessary.
However, the empty Starship resulted in surplus propellant that had to be discharged.
Encouragingly for SpaceX, this isnt a major problem, and the issue shouldnt affect the next launch.
And by orbit, Musk once again means suborbit, unless theflight parametershave changed.
Musk did not elaborate as to why the venting caused the fire and the explosion.
This is to demonstrate reentry capabilities.
Ultimately, the goal is to transfer propellant between two Starships in orbit.
Want to know more about Elon Musks space venture?
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