SpaceX is testing technology to fortify the launch pad to withstand the immense power of the Starship rocket’s engines during liftoff.
SpaceX tests a prototype shield to protect the launch pad. (Video: SpaceX)
The launch pad is located at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, which was severely damaged during the first test flight of the Starship vehicle, the most powerful rocket ever built, on April 20. The tremendous force generated by the 33 Raptor engines in the first stage of Starship created a large crater beneath the launch pad, sending concrete chunks flying through a cloud of dust. The day after the flight test, billionaire Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, shared that the company is looking for ways to prevent or minimize such damage through a large, water-cooled steel shield situated beneath the launch tower.
This effort began three months ago. The shielding system was not ready in time for the April 20 launch; however, SpaceX proceeded with the test believing that the concrete under Starship could withstand one launch. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Since then, the company has accelerated the development of the steel shield. Recently, SpaceX tested a prototype shield against the power of a Raptor engine. In a 20-second video shared by the company on May 19, as the steam dissipated at the end of the clip, the shield appeared to remain intact.
The launch pad at Starbase was severely damaged during the first test flight of the Starship vehicle.
SpaceX is developing Starship to transport astronauts to the Moon and Mars. NASA has also selected the vehicle as the first landing craft to bring humans to the Moon under the Artemis program. The test flight on April 20 aimed to launch the upper stage of Starship around the Earth and land it in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. However, the process did not go smoothly. The two stages of the vehicle did not separate as planned. SpaceX issued a command for the prototype to self-destruct in the air above the Gulf of Mexico a few minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX is manufacturing multiple Starship vehicles at the Starbase facility and plans to launch the next version shortly. Recently, Musk indicated that the next flight of Starship could occur within the next two months if the steel shield system is ready and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants a permit for the mission.
