SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has finally broken his silence about the explosion of Starship SN9 on February 2. Musk replied to a user on Twitter, admitting they were “too dumb” to light just two engines to land. He continued working and said they would try the “pull-up” method next time.
Space X’s second full test flight of its starship was launched on February 2 and saw SN9 travel a few miles in the sky. The vehicle floated for a moment, then performed a belly-flop-like maneuver on the descent before making an explosive landing in the locking pad. Subsequent reports claim that one of the two Raptor engines failed to restart before returning to the ground, causing SN9 to travel too fast to make a safe landing.
The question was asked by a Twitter user named ‘Madoverlord’. In a tweet to Musk, he asked why only two engines were lit during the landing. “Why don’t you light all three, turn around, pick the best two and turn off the other?” he added. Musk replied, “we were all too stupid”.
Read: SpaceX’s Starship Prototype Rocket Explodes on Landing, FAA to Supervise Investigation
Read: SpaceX’s 2nd Starship test flight ends with another Kaboom
FAA to initiate investigation
When SpaceX’s second full test flight of its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship ended in another fiery emergency landing on Feb. 2, the Federal Aviation Administration said it will oversee an investigation into the incident. Elon Musk’s company launched its latest Starship prototype from the southeastern tip of Texas two months after the previous test ended in an equally explosive belly flop. The destroyed vehicle, SpaceX’s Starship SN9, was an early prototype for a rocket that the company hopes will bring the first humans to the Red planet.
On Tuesday, the missile was launched in a high-altitude test flight and had traveled several miles in the air. The vehicle floated for a moment, then performed a belly-flop-like maneuver on the descent before making an explosive landing in the locking pad. Following the failed launch, the FAA said its top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is to ensure operations are safe, even if there is an anomaly.
Read: Starship SN9 scrubbed by FAA; Elon Musk brings SN10 instead; Read Details
Read: SpaceX’s 2nd Starship test flight ends with another Kaboom