The October launch involved some ‘scary sh-t,’ staff told Musk.
Eric Gay/Associated Press
SpaceX launched its fifth-ever test flight from South Texas earlier this month, impressing viewers when the rocket’s first stage booster returned back to the launch pad with the help of mechanical arms known as “chopsticks.” But behind the scenes, SpaceX staff worried the rocket might crash.
In a video Elon Musk posted to X Friday of him playing a video game, the SpaceX CEO is being briefed by staff about the potential fallout of a misconfiguration, Reuters space reporter Joey Roulette first spotted.
“I want to be really upfront about scary sh-t that happened,” an unidentified staff member can be heard saying. “We had a misconfigured stem gas support that didn’t have quite the right ramp up time for bringing up stem pressure, and we were one second away from that tripping and telling the rocket to abort and try to crash into the ground next to the tower.”
SpaceX ultimately achieved its goals for the launch, though the briefing also drew Musk’s attention to a cover ripping off the booster, which staff suggested could have damaged critical equipment. But the video provides an unusual behind-the-scenes look at how close the launch was to a haphazard end and causing additional alarm to nearby residents.
Even though SpaceX pulled off the launch as intended, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network said the community was “distraught by the negative impacts of the launch” and frustrated with the “lack of concern for public safety and health.”
Originally, Starship’s fifth flight was expected to be delayed until November so that an environmental analysis could be completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But SpaceX ultimately received a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration and held the test Oct. 13.
That day was a Sunday, and it appears Musk took his day of rest seriously. In response to staff updating him on the situation, Musk casually said in the video, “yikes.” And when Musk posted the video, he shared concern that his game involved “too much time spent killing minions vs elites.”
Now, SpaceX is busy preparing for its sixth Starship launch and conducting tests on its “Super Heavy” booster.
Meanwhile, residents in the Rio Grande Valley are on guard over the land and water affected by Starship tests. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is holding a meeting Nov. 14 in Brownsville to review a wastewater permit that SpaceX is seeking to discharge directly to Texas’ southernmost bay. Known simply as “South Bay” the body of water is thought to have “exceptional aquatic life use” and is connected to the Laguna Madre, where the National Park Service warns that inappropriate use or development of the lagoon or adjacent lands would be “unwise.”
A TCEQ review determined the permit won’t result in significant degradation of water quality, according to a meeting notice. Still, the neighboring community is planning to speak out against the permit.
In a post calling for people to argue against it, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network said “SpaceX continues to threaten our wildlife, our community, and well being.”
News
Could Agatha All Along Redefine the MCU Like Andor Did for Star Wars?
Andor is often cited as one of the best live-action Star Wars series that truly shows what a Star Wars show can be. In the same vein, one could argue that Agatha All Along does something similar by offering something more unique compared to past MCU shows,…
The Moment The Walking Dead Went Wrong: Rick Grimes’ Actor Speaks Out on What Went Haywire!
Andrew Lincoln believes Glenn’s death was too much for The Walking Dead. Glenn’s death split the audience and caused a steady decline in viewership. The Walking Dead’s handling of Glenn’s death was poorly executed, contributing to its downfall. Having played…
Chaos Reigns Again: The Walking Dead’s World Returns to Normal in the Darkest Possible Way!
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 10, “New Haunts,” now streaming on AMC+. The Walking Dead‘s zombie-apocalypse world is slowly building back to its civilized times before the outbreak, but it’s not all it’s cracked up…
7 Shocking The Walking Dead Storylines That Left Fans Completely Frustrated
Over the course of its eleven seasons, The Walking Dead has had plotlines that rocked the audience to their core. From small but deeply personal storylines, to the wide-ranging wars between communities and groups of survivors – The Walking Dead has a long history of…
No Global Zombies: The Walking Dead Creator Reveals Why the Show Never Went Beyond the U.S.!
In the zombie-ravaged comic book world of The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes and his band of survivors mainly moved between a select few locations, with most of their stories taking place in temporary homes that lasted up until the undead hordes arrived…
Fans Reveal the Shows That Took a Nosedive – And One Is Getting More Backlash Than Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead Combined!
Some wounds never heal in the world of TV pop culture. (Image credit: HBO / AMC) Is it harder to start a good thing, or to end somewhere that people can agree was the best option? As we continue to…
End of content
No more pages to load