SpaceX's mega-rocket is a two-stage system, consisting of a first-stage Super Heavy booster and a second stage, Starship.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)So SpaceX turned to hot staging — where the upper stage (Starship) fires its engines while still connected to the booster.
It's one of the most efficient ways to do stage separation," Musk said during a program update in October, per Aviation Week.
At the crucial moment, the stages separately beautifully, with Super Heavy tumbling downward and Starship climbing away from it.
The Super Heavy booster explodes as it tumbles downward after separation, in a screengrab from SpaceX's livestream on X. SpaceXStarship, however, kept trucking toward space — until something happened.
Persons:
—, Elon Musk's, Eric Gay, Musk, John Insprucker
Organizations:
Service, SpaceX, Starship, Aviation, Super
Locations:
SpaceX's