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#starshiplaunchproblem I figured out what happened with Starship during the Thursday morning launch. I want to thank a freelance aerospace journalist named T, J. Cooney for solving the problem. The rocket performed flawlessly. A civil engineering failure prevented the rocket from reaching orbit.
From almost 80 years ago when the Nazis started launching V-2 rockets until today, a launch trough or blast deflector was placed under the first-stage rocket motors to deflect the blast of rocket motors. Starship did not have a blast trough. It sits highly elevated on the launch pad.
SpaceX engineers are superb. They knew that a blast trough was an essential part of any rocket launching system. They encountered a huge challenge with building a launch trough at Boca Chica. There is a layer of ground and a body of water underneath that upper layer. (The Gulf Of Mexico). To go down to this body of water would require the cooperation of the US Army Corps of Engineers and all sorts of protests from environmentalists. A delay of several years might have followed. SpaceX engineers elevated the launch pad in hopes of creating a natural blast trough. It did not work. When the 32 engines ignited, concrete was disrupted and destroyed. These flying concrete projectiles hit various engines and caused severe damage. Mr. Cooney went in-depth in showing the affected engines and the damage.
A team of outstanding civil engineers will need to produce a "think outside the box" solution to this problem.
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