Starship flight test 1

{{Further information|SpaceX Starship#Design}}

Developed by SpaceX, Starship is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle,{{cite web |url=https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship |title=Starship |work=SpaceX |access-date=February 6, 2023 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203191731/https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/ |url-status=live}} the largest and most powerful ever developed. Standing {{cvt|121|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} tall, it is projected to be able to carry {{cvt|150|MT|lb|abbr=off}} of payload in a fully reusable configuration. Its 33 first-stage Raptor engines nominally generate more than {{cvt|16000000|lbf|MN}} of thrust. This is roughly twice that of NASA's Saturn V ({{cvt|7,750,000|lbf|MN}}{{cite book |editor-last=Thorne |editor-first=Muriel |date=May 1983 |title=NASA, The First 25 Years: 1958-1983 |url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED252377.pdf |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |page=69 |access-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326025016/https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED252377.pdf |url-status=live}}) which flew between 1967 and 1973; more than NASA's SLS, which produced {{cvt|8800000|lbf|MN}} of thrust at liftoff in 2022; and well above the {{cvt|10000000|lbf|MN}} of thrust from the 30 engines that powered the Soviet Union's N1 rocket between 1969 and 1972.

On its first orbital test flight, Starship broke the N1's half-century-old record for the most powerful rocket-stage ever launched.{{Cite web |last=Simpson |first=Clive |date=April 17, 2023 |title=How SpaceX's Starship stacks up to other rockets |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/04/17/how-spacexs-starship-stacks-up-to-other-rockets/ |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=Spaceflight Now |language=en-US |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417130320/https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/04/17/how-spacexs-starship-stacks-up-to-other-rockets/ |url-status=live}}

Both of Starship's stages are designed to perform controlled landings at the launch site enabling them to fly multiple times.{{Cite news |last=Wattles |first=Jackie |date=September 29, 2019 |title=Elon Musk says SpaceX's Mars rocket will be cheaper than he once thought. Here's why |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/business/elon-musk-spacex-mars-starship-cost/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626040403/https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/business/elon-musk-spacex-mars-starship-cost/index.html |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |work=CNN Business}} SpaceX plans to use the launch vehicle for launching satellites, space tourism, and interplanetary spaceflight.{{Cite news |last=Roulette |first=Joey |date=February 11, 2022 |title=What Is Starship? SpaceX Builds Its Next-Generation Rocket |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/elon-musk-starship.html |access-date=May 28, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512140941/https://www.nytimes.com/article/elon-musk-starship.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Petrova |first=Magdalena |date=March 13, 2022 |title=Why Starship is the holy grail for SpaceX |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/13/why-starship-is-the-holy-grail-for-spacex.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528232814/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/13/why-starship-is-the-holy-grail-for-spacex.html |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |website=CNBC |language=en}}

{{further|SpaceX Starship#History|SpaceX Starship flight tests}}

Starting in 2019, SpaceX built several prototypes for the upper stage and launched them a total of nine times, culminating with the launch of Starship SN15 on May 5, 2021, that completed a successful high-altitude flight test of six minutes.{{cite news |last=Timmer |first=John |date=May 5, 2021 |title=SpaceX successfully lands a Starship test flight |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/spacex-successfully-lands-a-starship-test-flight/ |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505235817/https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/spacex-successfully-lands-a-starship-test-flight/ |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |work=Ars Technica |access-date=May 7, 2021}} SpaceX continued to build new upper stages, completed several first stages, and performed ground tests while waiting for governmental launch clearances.

In 2021, SpaceX filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission in which it described the planned first flight test of the Starship-Super Heavy booster stack. The application said that, after liftoff from Starbase, the booster would separate and land about {{convert|20|mi|-1}} offshore while Starship would continue flying east and land about {{convert|62|mi}} off the Hawaiian island of Kauai.{{Cite web |date=May 13, 2021 |title=Starship Orbital - First Flight FCC Exhibit |url=https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=273481 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513192042/https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=273481 |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Federal Communications Commission}}

In June 2022, the environmental review of the launch site concluded with a "mitigated FONSI" (Finding of No Significant Impact) ruling, requiring the company to implement various mitigations to local wildlife and historical sites but otherwise permitting a launch license to be issued.

On February 9, 2023, SpaceX performed a final static fire of the Super Heavy booster.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/science/spacex-starship-static-fire.html |title=SpaceX Test Fires 31 Engines on the Most Powerful Rocket Ever |work=The New York Times |date=February 9, 2023 |access-date=April 30, 2023 |last1=Chang |first1=Kenneth |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417183647/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/science/spacex-starship-static-fire.html |url-status=live }} A flight readiness review was completed on April 8, 2023. An April 11 launch rehearsal was canceled.{{cite web |last=Alcantarilla Romera |first=Alejandro |date=April 14, 2023 |title=Starship into final preps for launch targeting the second half of April |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/04/starship-ready-for-historic-flight |access-date=April 15, 2023 |work=NASASpaceFlight |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414233015/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/04/starship-ready-for-historic-flight/ |url-status=live}} The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an orbital launch license for the vehicle on April 14, 2023.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/14/faa-clears-spacex-to-launch-starship-flight.html|title=SpaceX cleared by FAA to launch first orbital Starship flight|date=April 14, 2023|author=Sheetz, Michael|access-date=April 30, 2023|publisher=CNBC|archive-date=May 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501014514/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/14/faa-clears-spacex-to-launch-starship-flight.html|url-status=live}}

Before the launch, 27 organizations including the Sierra Club, South Texas Environmental Justice Network, Another Gulf is Possible, Voces Unidas, and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe signed a letter expressing their concerns and opposition to it. They cited gentrification and overpolicing of the area, wildlife habitat and native ceremony disruption, and risk of methane-emitting accidents, among others.{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Press Statement: Rio Grande Valley Community React Ahead of SpaceX Rocket Launch Blast on the South Texas Coastline |url=https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2023-04/PressStatement_%20SpaceXlaunchthreatensRioGrandeValleycommunity_19April2023.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420055316/https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2023-04/PressStatement_%20SpaceXlaunchthreatensRioGrandeValleycommunity_19April2023.pdf |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |access-date=April 22, 2023 |website=Sierra Club}}

SpaceX said it would measure the mission's success "by how much [SpaceX] can learn" and that completion of mission milestones were "not required for a successful test". Before the April 20 launch, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk estimated a 50% chance for a successful test, saying that if the rocket gets "far enough away from the launchpad before something goes wrong, then I think I would consider that to be a success. Just don't blow up the launchpad."{{Cite news |last=Davenport |first=Christian |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Unmanned Starship explodes over gulf after liftoff |language=en |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/20/starship-spacex-test-launch/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420153340/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/20/starship-spacex-test-launch/ |archive-date=April 20, 2023}}

{{LaunchAttempt

| date1 = 2023-04-17 8:20

| result1 = Scrubbed

| reason1 = Technical

| decision_date1 = 2023-04-17 8:19

| decision_clock1 = −00:00:40

| notes1 = Frozen pressurization valve.

| date2 = 2023-04-20 8:33

| result2 = Failure

| reason2 = Technical

| decision_date2 = 2023-04-20 8:37

| decision_clock2 = +00:04:01

| notes2 = Thrust vector control problem resulted in FTS activation and destruction of vehicle.

}}

The spacecraft flight plan was to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase facility along the south Texas coast, then conduct a powered flight until reaching the desired transatmospheric Earth orbit, estimated to be around 250 × 50 km (155 × 31 mi), which would have caused Starship to re-enter the atmosphere after roughly 1 hour, 17 minutes of flight, nearly completing a full orbit.{{Cite web |title=Starship Flight Test |url=https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-test |date=April 11, 2023 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=SpaceX |language=en-US |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414172859/https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-test |url-status=live}}

Though both of Starship's rocket stages are eventually intended to be reusable, SpaceX planned to discard both stages at the end of this flight.{{Cite web |last=Berger |first=Eric |date=April 10, 2023 |title=SpaceX's Starship vehicle is ready to fly, just waiting for a launch license |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/spacexs-starship-vehicle-is-ready-to-fly-just-waiting-for-a-launch-license/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411121824/https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/spacexs-starship-vehicle-is-ready-to-fly-just-waiting-for-a-launch-license/ |archive-date=April 11, 2023 |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}

The test flight consisted of prototype vehicles Ship 24 and Booster 7. Both the booster and the spacecraft would have performed controlled touchdowns on the ocean surface. According to filings with the FCC, the booster would have performed a boostback burn and sought to land about {{cvt|20|mi}} offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship spacecraft would have sought to land in the Pacific Ocean about {{cvt|100|km|mi|order=flip}} northwest of Kauai.{{Cite web |title=Starship Orbital - First Flight FCC Exhibit |url=https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=273481 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513192042/https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=273481 |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |website=Federal Communications Commission}}

The Starship and Super Heavy stack was loaded with propellant at Starbase and was set to launch at 13:20 UTC (8:20 a.m. CDT). However, the launch was aborted at T−8:05 due to a frozen pressurization valve on Booster 7. Before the abort, SpaceX launch control worked to fix the problem, aiming to proceed with a launch the same day. Due to the valves exhibited low responsiveness, SpaceX changed the scheduled flight to a wet dress rehearsal that ended at T−40 seconds. SpaceX said it would need at least 48 hours to prepare for a second attempt.{{Cite web |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=April 17, 2023 |title=SpaceX scrubs 1st space launch of giant Starship rocket due to fueling issue |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-scrubs-first-space-launch-starship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417165605/https://www.space.com/spacex-scrubs-first-space-launch-starship |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=Space.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |date=April 17, 2023 |title=Highlights From SpaceX's Scrubbed Starship Rocket Launch Attempt |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/17/science/spacex-starship-launch |url-status=live |access-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419221309/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/17/science/spacex-starship-launch |archive-date=April 19, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|image1=Spacex launch April 20 2023.webm|caption1=The liftoff as viewed from Mexico|image2=SpaceX Starship IFT-1 NASA WB-57 Cam 0.webm|caption2=NASA's partial recording of the Starship launch}}

A 62-minute launch window opened at 8:28 a.m. CDT (13:28 UTC) on April 20, 2023.{{cite news |last=Clark |first=Stephen |date=April 17, 2023 |title=SpaceX's Starship test flight delayed until Thursday after valve problem |publisher=Spaceflight Now |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/04/17/spacexs-starship-test-flight-delayed-until-thursday-after-valve-problem/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419032444/https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/04/17/spacexs-starship-test-flight-delayed-until-thursday-after-valve-problem/ |archive-date=April 19, 2023}}

At 08:33 CDT (13:33 UTC), the vehicle successfully lifted off, albeit while causing damage to the launch pad. Starship slid laterally off the launchpad, as three engines failed to ignite upon liftoff.{{Cite web |last=Sheetz |first=Michael |title=SpaceX to spend about $2 billion on Starship this year, as Elon Musk pushes to reach orbit |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/29/elon-musk-spacexs-starship-costing-about-2-billion-this-year.html |access-date=April 30, 2023 |website=CNBC |date=April 30, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430115243/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/29/elon-musk-spacexs-starship-costing-about-2-billion-this-year.html |url-status=live }}

Multiple Raptor engines failed during flight.

At about 27 seconds into the flight, SpaceX lost communications with another engine because of "some kind of energetic event". SpaceX shows a discrepancy in its webcast, between the number of engines seen not working in the live video, and the number of engines shut down in the superimposed graphics.{{Cite AV media| people = SpaceX| title = Starship Flight Test| accessdate = August 17, 2023| date = April 20, 2023| time = 46:25| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1wcilQ58hI#t=2785s| archive-date = April 20, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230420191532/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1wcilQ58hI#t=2785s| url-status = live}}

It has been suggested that a small explosion visible around T+0:30 was the failure of a hydraulic power unit, but this has not yet been confirmed.{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2023 |title=Jonathan's Space Report - Latest Issue |url=https://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.html |access-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531015202/https://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}

Eighty-five seconds into the launch, SpaceX lost thrust vector control of the 13 central engines and thus the ability to steer the rocket. The vehicle rose to about {{cvt|39|km|mi|abbr=out}} before losing altitude and entering a spin,{{Cite news |last1=Skipper |first1=Joe |last2=Gorman |first2=Steve |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Elon Musk's Starship explodes minutes after first test flight's liftoff |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/elon-musks-spacex-launches-debut-flight-starship-rocket-system-2023-04-20/ |access-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420220929/https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/elon-musks-spacex-launches-debut-flight-starship-rocket-system-2023-04-20/ |url-status=live}} after which its AFTS (autonomous flight termination system) was activated. The AFTS was intended to immediately destroy the vehicle, however, the booster's engines continued to fire until 40 seconds after the AFTS was triggered, about four minutes into the flight at a height of {{cvt|29|km|mi|abbr=out}}. No injuries or public property damage were reported by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The launch was generally regarded as an important step in Starship's iterative and incremental developmental progress.{{Cite news |last1=Olson |first1=Emily |last2=Archie |first2=Ayana |date=April 20, 2023 |title=SpaceX's massive rocket Starship explodes 4 minutes after liftoff |work=National Public Radio |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1170983959/spacex-starship-launch-elon-musk |url-status=live |access-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420070436/https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1170983959/spacex-starship-launch-elon-musk |archive-date=April 20, 2023}} A variety of public officials and figures congratulated SpaceX on the outcome of the test flight, including NASA administrator Bill Nelson, European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher,{{Cite web |last1=Therrien |first1=Alex |last2=Whitehead |first2=Jamie |date=April 20, 2023 |title=SpaceX Starship live: SpaceX Starship finally launches but blows up after take-off |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-65330571 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420161118/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-65330571 |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}} retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield,{{Cite web |last=CTV News |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Chris Hadfield on SpaceX rocket exploding: It was 'enormously successful' |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiDGb1CXw4I |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420212523/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiDGb1CXw4I&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |access-date=April 21, 2023 |website=YouTube}} and executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Dan Dumbacher.{{cite web|url=https://spacenews.com/starship-lifts-off-on-first-integrated-test-flight-breaks-apart-minutes-later/|title=Starship lifts off on first integrated test flight, breaks apart minutes later|first=Jeff|last=Foust|date=April 20, 2023|access-date=April 26, 2023|work=SpaceNews|archive-date=November 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119080816/https://spacenews.com/starship-lifts-off-on-first-integrated-test-flight-breaks-apart-minutes-later/|url-status=live}}

University of Chicago space historian Jordan Brimm said that "it fell somewhere between a small step and their hoped-for giant leap, but it still represents significant progress toward a reusable super-heavy lift rocket".{{Cite web |last=Dunn |first=Marcia |date=April 20, 2023 |title=SpaceX giant rocket explodes minutes after launch from Texas |url=https://apnews.com/article/spacex-starship-launch-elon-musk-d9989401e2e07cdfc9753f352e44f6e2 |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=Associated Press |language=en |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420185705/https://apnews.com/article/spacex-starship-launch-elon-musk-d9989401e2e07cdfc9753f352e44f6e2 |url-status=live}} Bloomberg News space reporter Loren Grush said the explosion "highlights the challenges ahead for Musk's grandiose plan for Starship to open up space to human travel", and that beyond the engineering work required for Starship to successfully land, SpaceX will still need to work on Starship's life support systems and ability to refuel in outer space. Grush also described the booster's first takeoff as a "win", and noted that commercial rockets' first launches are rarely successful.{{Cite web |last=Grush |first=Loren |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Starship Explosion Shows Just How Far SpaceX Is From the Moon |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-spacex-starship-refuel/ |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=Bloomberg News |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420225857/https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-spacex-starship-refuel/ |url-status=live}} Ars Technica editor Eric Berger reported that launch industry officials believed that "getting the Super Heavy rocket and Starship upper stage off the launch pad was a huge success".{{Cite web |last=Berger |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Berger (meteorologist) |date=April 20, 2023 |title=So what was that? Was Starship's launch a failure or a success? |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/so-what-was-that-was-starships-launch-a-failure-or-a-success/ |access-date=April 22, 2023 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421123110/https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/so-what-was-that-was-starships-launch-a-failure-or-a-success/ |url-status=live}}

According to Elon Musk, requalification of the flight termination system would be the main delay to the next launch, as despite the system activating and setting off the explosives, it "took way too long to rupture the tanks".

On September 8, 2023, SpaceX summarized the root cause of the loss of vehicle control in a company blog post: "During ascent, the vehicle sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster, which eventually severed connection with the vehicle’s primary flight computer. This led to a loss of communications to the majority of booster engines and, ultimately, control of the vehicle."{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=FAA says SpaceX has more to do before Starship can fly again |url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/09/faa-says-spacex-has-more-to-do-before-starship-can-fly-again/ |access-date=September 8, 2023 |date=September 8, 2023 |ref=ars_review |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908194205/https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/09/faa-says-spacex-has-more-to-do-before-starship-can-fly-again/ |url-status=live }}

The launch pad was built without flame diverters, water deluge systems or sound suppression systems,{{Cite news |last=Albeck-Ripka |first=Livia |date=April 21, 2023 |title=SpaceX's Starship Kicked Up a Dust Cloud, Leaving Texans With a Mess |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/spacex-rocket-dust-texas.html |access-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421100948/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/spacex-rocket-dust-texas.html |url-status=live}} systems commonly used to prevent damage during liftoff. SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk tweeted in 2020, "Aspiring to have no flame diverter in Boca, but this could turn out to be a mistake."{{Cite tweet |last=Musk |first=Elon |title=Aspiring to have no flame diverter in Boca, but this could turn out to be a mistake |user=elonmusk |number=1313952039869788173 |access-date=April 24, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=April 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424154814/https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1313952039869788173?s=20 |url-status=live}}

After the launch, photos showed damage to the concrete under the launch pad and to infrastructure at the launch site.{{Cite news |last=Angle |first=Richard |date=April 2, 2023 |title=Starship delivers excitement, but launch pad damage comes into question |language=en-US |work=Teslarati |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-launch-pad-damage/|access-date=April 20, 2023|archive-date=April 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422075203/https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-launch-pad-damage/|url-status=live}} SpaceX video of the launch showed debris shooting into the ocean nearly half a mile away. The rocket exhaust scattered debris for hundreds of yards, leaving a crater under its launch mount, and dented inert storage tanks near the launch pad.{{cite news |last=Davenport |first=Christian |date=April 21, 2023 |title=SpaceX didn't want to blow up its launchpad. It may have done just that. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/21/spacex-starship-launch-debris-shrapnel/ |access-date=April 24, 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |quote=|archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421225305/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/21/spacex-starship-launch-debris-shrapnel/ |url-status=live}} Musk said large chunks of concrete hit the launch tower but caused no meaningful damage.

On April 21, 2023—the day after the launch—Musk tweeted that SpaceX workers had planned three months earlier to add a "massive water-cooled steel plate" to the pad but that the team had "wrongly thought, based on static fire data, that [the concrete in use on the pad] would make it through the launch".{{cite tweet |number=1649523985837686784 |user=elonmusk |title=3 months ago, we started building a massive water-cooled, steel plate to go under the launch mount. Wasn't ready in time & we wrongly thought, based on static fire data, that Fondag would make it through 1 launch. Looks like we can be ready to launch again in 1 to 2 months. |first=Elon |last=Musk}}

SpaceX told NASA administrator Bill Nelson in April that it would take at least two months to rebuild the launchpad.{{Cite web |last=Sheetz |first=Michael |title=What's next for SpaceX's Starship after a dramatic first launch |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/29/spacex-starship-whats-next.html |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=CNBC |date=April 29, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531112504/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/29/spacex-starship-whats-next.html |url-status=live }} For the next launch, the company planned to put water-cooled steel plates under the launch mount. Installation began on July 5, 2023,{{Cite tweet|last=Bergin|first=Chris|user=NASASpaceflight|number=1676688040972918788|date=July 5, 2023|title=Starbase OLM water deluge system steel plate rotation!}} and finished on July 17. The system's first full-pressure test was conducted on July 28.

File:Brownsville TX NWS Radar of Starship Launch.gif radar in Brownsville, Texas briefly showed the plume from the rocket's breakup]]

Residents and researchers were "scrambling" after the launch to assess its effects on local communities' health and wildlife.{{Cite web |last=Kolodny |first=Lora |title=SpaceX Starship explosion spread particulate matter for miles |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/24/spacex-starship-explosion-spread-particulate-matter-for-miles.html |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=CNBC |date=April 24, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425045623/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/24/spacex-starship-explosion-spread-particulate-matter-for-miles.html |url-status=live }} Soon after the launch, residents of Port Isabel, Texas, a town roughly {{Convert|6.5|mile|km}} from the launch site, reported particulate matter falling from the sky.{{cite news|work=Common Dreams|title=SpaceX Explosion Sparks Environmental Concerns After Coating Texas Community in Ash|date=April 25, 2023|first=Olivia|last=Rosane|url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/spacex-explosion-sparks-environmental-concerns|access-date=April 28, 2023|archive-date=April 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427063944/https://www.commondreams.org/news/spacex-explosion-sparks-environmental-concerns|url-status=live}} A Port Isabel spokesperson called the debris a "thick, granular, sand grain that just landed on everything", adding that the debris posed no "immediate concern" to resident health. Several Port Isabel residents reported shaking and shattered windows.{{cite news |last=Karlis |first=Michael |date=April 25, 2023 |title=FAA grounds Elon Musk's SpaceX pending investigation into potential environmental damage |newspaper=San Antonio Current |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/news/faa-grounds-elon-musks-spacex-pending-investigation-into-potential-environmental-damage-31578176 |access-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426183647/https://www.sacurrent.com/news/faa-grounds-elon-musks-spacex-pending-investigation-into-potential-environmental-damage-31578176 |url-status=live }} Representatives of Another Gulf is Possible,{{cite web | title='Colonizing Our Community': Elon Musk's SpaceX Rocket Explodes in Texas as Feds OK New LNG Projects | website=Democracy Now! | date=April 21, 2023 | url=https://www.democracynow.org/2023/4/21/spacex_gulf_coast | access-date=April 24, 2023 | archive-date=April 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421154348/https://www.democracynow.org/2023/4/21/spacex_gulf_coast | url-status=live }} the Sierra Club, and Center for Biological Diversity expressed concerns that the particulate matter might harm Port Isabel residents and nearby endangered species, The latter two groups' representatives also said the blast's damage to roads had kept wildlife biologists from investigating the launch site until April 22, two days after the launch.

File:Launch and explosion of Starship Integrated Flight Test captured by GOES-16 (unannotated).jpg satellite image of South Texas taken at the time of Starship flight]]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Texas Division reported that the launch scattered debris across {{Convert|385|acre|ha|abbr=out}} on SpaceX property and Boca Chica State Park. It deposited a pulverized material, thought to be concrete dust, up to {{Convert|6.5|mile|km}} northwest.

A wildfire started and burned {{Convert|3.5|acre|ha|abbr=out|adj=off}} of state parkland to the south of the pad.{{Cite news |last1=Grush |first1=Loren |last2=Hull |first2=Dana |date=April 26, 2023 |title=SpaceX's Starship Launch Sparked Fire on State Park Land |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-26/spacex-launch-sparked-3-5-acre-fire-on-state-park-land-us-says-lgy2cc46?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=April 26, 2023}} Olivier de Weck, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets and a MIT professor, said that much of the dust and debris could have been better contained by flame trenches diverting the engine blast underground or a "pipeline...bring[ing] seawater" to the launch site.{{cite news|magazine=New York|title=Elon Musk's Messy 4/20 Rocket Launch May Delay SpaceX for Months|last=Dugan|first=Kevin T.|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/04/elon-musk-messy-420-rocket-launch-may-delay-spacex-plan.html|date=April 26, 2023|access-date=April 29, 2023|archive-date=April 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429161508/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/04/elon-musk-messy-420-rocket-launch-may-delay-spacex-plan.html|url-status=live}} (de Weck nevertheless called the event "more of a success than a failure".{{cite news|agency=Agence France-Presse|title=Giant SpaceX rocket leaves crater, serious damage at Texas base|first1=Patrick|last1=Fallon|first2=Lucie|last2=Aubourg|date=April 23, 2023|via=Yahoo! News|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/giant-spacex-rocket-leaves-crater-014055008.html|access-date=May 10, 2023|archive-date=May 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510212252/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/giant-spacex-rocket-leaves-crater-014055008.html|url-status=dead}})

Similarly, Eric Roesch, an expert in environmental compliance and risk assessment, criticized SpaceX for not disclosing the launch's risks and for failing to use a trench or water system to dampen the launch's impact. Roesch said that a chemical analysis would be required to determine whether the dust and debris would be harmful to health. A later chemical analysis by the University of Central Florida and another by Rice University identified the dust-like material as harmless beach sand from below the launchpad. The heat and pressure went through fresh cracks in the launch pad, causing an eruption that propelled sand six miles to Port Isabel. Though large amounts of dust measuring between 1 and 10 microns can be harmful to breathe, the researchers did not find them in enough quantity and concluded that the sand was not a health hazard.

A pre-launch FAA assessment had stated there would be "no significant impact" on the region. After the launch, SpaceX activated the FAA required "anomaly response plan", but otherwise refused to comment on the situation.{{Cite news |last=Davenport |first=Christian |date=April 20, 2023 |title=SpaceX's Starship lifts off successfully, but explodes in first flight |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/20/spacex-starship-explosion-launch/ |access-date=April 20, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}} The US Fish and Wildlife Service's Texas division said it had not found evidence of dead birds or wildlife, though Texas Public Radio reported finding a charred quail's nest.{{Cite news |last=Davila |first=Gaige |date=April 27, 2023 |title=SpaceX is grounded after rocket explosion caused extensive environmental damage |language=en-US |work=Texas Public Radio |url=https://www.tpr.org/environment/2023-04-27/photos-spacex-is-grounded-after-rocket-explosion-caused-extensive-environmental-damage |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428152150/https://www.tpr.org/environment/2023-04-27/photos-spacex-is-grounded-after-rocket-explosion-caused-extensive-environmental-damage |url-status=live }} Biologist David Newstead suggested that the delay in conducting a survey may have skewed the result, noting, for example, that predators would be likely to consume a "dead bird on the flats" within an hour.{{Cite news |last=Lingle |first=Brandon |date=April 27, 2023 |title=Lingle: Full impact of SpaceX launch comes into focus |language=en-US |work=San Antonio Express-News |url=https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/article/lingle-full-impact-of-spacex-launch-comes-into-17924161.php |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428152145/https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/article/lingle-full-impact-of-spacex-launch-comes-into-17924161.php |url-status=live }} Justin LeClaire, a biologist who was allowed into the area 54 hours after launch, said that SpaceX has "altered a habitat on a wildlife refuge", and that it would take time to understand the effects.

On May 1, 2023, ten days after the launch, four environmental groups—the Center for Biological Diversity, Surfrider Foundation, American Bird Conservancy, and Save Rio Grande Valley (Save RGV)—and the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas jointly sued the FAA for having granted SpaceX a launch license.{{cite news|work=CNBC|via=NBC News|first= Lora|last=Kolodny|title=FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/faa-sued-spacex-starship-launch-program-april-explosion-rcna82289|date=May 1, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Gorman |first=Steve |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Environmentalists sue FAA over SpaceX launch license for Texas |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/environmentalists-sue-faa-over-spacex-launch-license-texas-2023-05-01/ |access-date=May 1, 2023}} SpaceX requested that it be allowed to join the FAA as a defendant, which was granted in June.{{Cite web |last1=Kolodny |first1=Lora |last2=Sheetz |first2=Michael |date=May 22, 2023 |title=SpaceX set to join FAA to fight environmental lawsuit that could delay Starship work |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/22/spacex-joining-faa-to-fight-environmental-lawsuit-over-starship.html |access-date=May 23, 2023 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523084507/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/22/spacex-joining-faa-to-fight-environmental-lawsuit-over-starship.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://expressnews.com/business/article/spacex-joins-faa-defendant-lawsuit-south-texas-18114267.php |first=Eric |last=Killelea |date=May 23, 2023 |newspaper=San Antonio Express-News |title=SpaceX joins FAA as defendant in lawsuit over private space company's launch from South Texas |access-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628233647/https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/spacex-joins-faa-defendant-lawsuit-south-texas-18114267.php |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://cnbc.com/2023/05/22/spacex-joining-faa-to-fight-environmental-lawsuit-over-starship.html |author=Michael Sheetz, Lora Kolodny |website=CNBC |date=May 22, 2023 |title=SpaceX set to join FAA to fight environmental lawsuit that could delay Starship work |access-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628233647/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/22/spacex-joining-faa-to-fight-environmental-lawsuit-over-starship.html |url-status=live }}

Following Starship's first flight failure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required SpaceX to conduct an investigation on the mishap, grounding Starship pending the outcome of their investigation.{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2023 |title=FAA Letter to SpaceX |url=https://www.faa.gov/media/70901 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908173658/https://www.faa.gov/media/70901 |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |access-date=November 22, 2023 }} The FAA would oversee the investigation, a standard practice when a vehicle was lost in flight.{{Cite news |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |date=April 20, 2023 |title=SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk's big rocket explodes on test flight |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65334810 |url-status=live |access-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420202244/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65334810 |archive-date=April 20, 2023}} The agency grounded Starship flights during the investigation, also a standard practice,{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Steve |date=April 25, 2023 |title=FAA investigating Starship explosion |url=https://news.yahoo.com/faa-investigating-starship-explosion-204600279.html |access-date=April 25, 2023 |work=The Brownsville Herald |via=Yahoo News |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426002236/https://news.yahoo.com/faa-investigating-starship-explosion-204600279.html |url-status=live }} and said that "a return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety" and that there were no reports of injuries or public property damage.{{Cite web |date=April 23, 2023 |title=FAA Statements on Recent Aviation Accidents and Incidents {{!}} Federal Aviation Administration |url=https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements |access-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423124613/https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements |archive-date=April 23, 2023 }} The FAA also announced that it would monitor the cleanup, which included the standard removal of launch debris from "sensitive habitats".{{Cite web|title=FAA Monitoring SpaceX's Clean-Up After Starship Launch|url=https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/faa-monitoring-spacexs-clean-up-after-starship-launch/|work=SpacePolicyOnline.com|first=Marcia|last=Smith|date=April 21, 2023|access-date=April 26, 2023|language=en-US|archive-date=April 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426002647/https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/faa-monitoring-spacexs-clean-up-after-starship-launch/|url-status=live}} On May 15, SpaceX filed a request for FCC approval for a second flight between June 15 and December 15, using Booster 9 and Ship 25.{{cite web | url=https://observer.com/2023/05/spacex-starship-orbital-test-date/ | title=SpaceX Sets Possible Dates for Starship's Second Orbital Test Launch | website=The New York Observer | date=May 17, 2023 | access-date=June 13, 2023 | archive-date=June 4, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604120322/https://observer.com/2023/05/spacex-starship-orbital-test-date/ | url-status=live }} In August, SpaceX submitted an initial mishap report to the FAA for review and approval.{{Cite web |author1=Mike Wall |date=August 16, 2023 |title=SpaceX submits Starship mishap report to the FAA |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-submits-starship-mishap-report-faa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119010633/https://www.space.com/spacex-submits-starship-mishap-report-faa |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |access-date=November 22, 2023 |website=Space.com |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=Let the review begin—SpaceX takes another step toward launching Starship again |url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/let-the-review-begin-spacex-takes-another-step-toward-launching-starship-again/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |date=August 15, 2023 |ref=ars_review |archive-date=August 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816042401/https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/let-the-review-begin-spacex-takes-another-step-toward-launching-starship-again/ |url-status=live }}

The FAA stated in September 2023

Following the launch, the FAA [...] required SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation in accordance with its approved mishap plan under FAA oversight. The FAA conducted a final review of the mishap report, dated August 21, 2023 . The primary focus of this review was to ensure [...] the identification of root cause(s) and implementation of corrective actions to avoid a recurrence of the event. The FAA has been provided with sufficient information and accepts the root causes and corrective actions described in the mishap report. Consequently, the FAA considers the mishap investigation that SpaceX was required to complete to be concluded.

The final mishap investigation report [submitted by SpaceX in August, as part of the investigation conducted by SpaceX and required by the FAA ] cited a total of sixty-three (63) corrective actions for SpaceX to implement. These included actions to address redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical.

{{commonscat|SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 1}}

• Apollo 4, first uncrewed test flight of the Saturn V
• Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit
• Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests
• Falcon Heavy test flight
• N1 (rocket)
• RatSat
• Timeline of private spaceflight

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Category:SpaceX Starship test flights

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