However, the Super Heavy booster unexpectedly exploded around three minutes and 17 seconds into the mission, potentially due to the extra strain caused by the hot-staging process. In the moments prior to the explosion, and as the booster completed its flip maneuver, multiple Raptor engines encountered issues, failing to reignite while others prematurely shut down, according to Space Explored. Visible flashes around the booster’s rear coincided with engine shutdowns as indicated on SpaceX’s graphic display. Sequentially, these engines malfunctioned until the booster experienced a rupture. While SpaceX has not verified whether Booster 9’s flight termination system was activated, the probability that this failure was connected to a forceful shutdown of a Raptor engine seems quite high, Space Explored explained. SpaceX will need to devise a solution, whether it be a modified hot staging technique, the implementation of new hardware, or a combination of both.
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