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After SpaceX's rather dramatic reveal earlier this week, which announced that it was ready to launch Starship Flight 5 as soon as on Sunday, true to form, the firm is making last minute pre launch preparations. Footage from local media in Texas, where SpaceX builds and tests its Starship rocket, shows that teams are now installing explosives on the rocket after the second stage was de-stacked from the Super Heavy booster earlier. These explosives, called a flight termination system (FTS) indicate an intent to launch since they cannot be placed indefinitely on a rocket.
SpaceX Installs Flight Termination System Explosives On Starship Super Heavy Booster and Starship Second Stage Ahead Of Flight 5
Installing explosives on a rocket is standard procedure before any launch since it gives teams on the ground a chance to destroy the vehicle in case it loses control during flight. Additionally, the power source for these explosives is separate from the rocket's since they have to operate in case of any electrical malfunction on the vehicle. Consequently, the FTS system runs on batteries, which tend to lose charge the longer they remained installed on the vehicle.
After it de stacked the Starship second stage from the Starship Super Heavy booster earlier, SpaceX has now finished installing the FTS system on both the rockets. Footage from local media in Texas shows workers installing the explosives on the rockets, indicating that SpaceX is moving full speed ahead with its plans launch Starship this Sunday.
Like Starship's engines and stage separation systems, the explosives also came to the center of attention after the first Starship test flight in 2023. After the second stage failed to separate, the 397 feet tall rocket somersaulted multiple times in the year before exploding. SpaceX confirmed later on that "an unexpected delay following AFSS activation" led to the system's enhancement and requalification ahead of the second Starship flight.
The installation started in the morning local time in Texas, and it follows other indicators that typically surface before a test launch. One of these comes through local authorities in Boca Chica, Texas, notifying residents of test flight activities. These come in the form of road closures, and the latest notification for October 13th shows that a closure is scheduled from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In case a launch does not take place, then closures for the same time window are planned for the next two days.
The closure notice from County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr. reads that the entrance to the Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 will be closed "for flight activity" and "SpaceX flight testing activities on October 13, 2024." These closures are another pre flight development that indicates a launch is imminent, and they signal that SpaceX is confident that the FAA will provide it with a launch license for the Sunday launch on time.
Starship Flight 5 will be the first time that SpaceX attempts to catch the Super Heavy with the tower catch arms. If this is successful, then the firm will have cleared another milestone for its rocket development. Additionally, multiple soft splashdowns of the second stage Starship spacecraft will also provide SpaceX with the confidence to return the rocket to the launch side to make it the world's first reusable second stage rocket.
Work on installing Booster 12 FTS explosives has begun! A major pre-launch milestone.
10/9/24 pic.twitter.com/jMCxykS56J
— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) October 9, 2024
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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