Well, the excitement happened. It will be interesting to see the post mortem, but just getting off the pad and through max-Q were major milestones for the first flight of such a beast.
Perennial reminder that the only failed test is one from which you learn nothing. SpaceX learned a lot this morning, which was the goal. It would have been amazing if they had even gotten to the partial orbit, let alone entered.
I missed this the first time around, about a year and a half ago, but it parallels many of the points that I made in my piece at The New Atlantis about the same time.
[Update late morning]
Airbus seems to be getting serious about space. I don’t see how the centrifuge helps all that much, though. The radius is too small for significant gravity, though it would help a lot to put the plumbing in it.
OK, the guaranteed excitement didn’t happen today. But to be fair, the guarantee only applied if they actually got to T-0. Anyway, they should be able to resolve the pressurization issue for the next attempt.
The time has come… for Starship Integrated Test Flight predictions! Have a go at these 11 questions and become a hero. Watch our coverage of the flight and see how your predictions compare to others. The Eager Astronaut wants to know! pic.twitter.com/AdHum507A4
— World Spaceflight News 🇺🇦 (@WSN_WorldSpace) April 14, 2023