Earlier today, SpaceX attempted the first launch heading for a suborbital flight of its combined heavy booster and the Starship module, which are also called “Starship” when combined.
Watching SpaceX’s coverage, complete with interesting graphics that were updated in real time, it was apparent to most viewers that three of the 33 Merlin engines housed in the Heavy Booster stage had not ignited, although the ship did clear the pad and ascended high enough to begin a turn-over maneuver required for booster separation.
Rather than flipping over and separating, the combined system simply kept rotating and eventually exploded.
SpaceX considered this to be a successful launch, as they claimed to be happy with merely getting off the launch pad, which was a feat in itself, considering that 33 engines needed to function flawlessly while lifting the near 400 foot tall “stack” (the Saturn 5 had 5 main engines).
You can watch it here.
