SpaceX has released a 4K recap of Starship serial number 8’s (SN8) spectacular high-altitude launch introduction, highlighting all crucial facets of the exceptionally successful test flight and also hinting in the upcoming steps forward.
On December 9th, following times of expectancy and waits for its unprecedented test flight, Starship SN8 spanned through a clean preflight leak, grabbed three Raptor engines, and raised off around 4:45 pm CST – only 15 minutes prior to the launch window had been scheduled to close. In a movement that could later be confirmed to be intentional, Starship’s ascent went just as intended with three Raptors sequentially shut down over the course of almost five minutes – needed, stated Elon Musk, keep the rocket from “[blowing off ] throughout the [12.5-kilometer] altitude limit. ”
Although technical difficulties prevented a high-altitude NASA reconnaissance jet from shooting aerial footage of this scene from up high, SpaceX surely appears to have made do with more mundane platforms, shooting all parts of Starship SN8’s launch in high definition.
12 story rocket turns off its search engines & does a controlled drop https://t.co/HCRgyx42rn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2020