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SpaceX's Raptor engines on the Starship Super Heavy booster weren't the only equipment on the booster that was warped after Starship Flight 5. A closer look at the test's footage shows that the booster's grid fins were also disfigured after the second stage Starship spacecraft separated from the first stage to start its journey. These fins are essential for the booster's landing, and despite the damage, they worked well to guide Starship Super Heavy back to the launch pad for the first tower catch of the Starship program. SpaceX also uses grid fins on the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster, but unlike the Starship test vehicles, the Falcon 9's fins are made out of titanium.
SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Booster's Grid Fins Worked Well Despite Being Deformed During Flight 5
Since Starship Flight 5 was the first test that saw the Super Heavy booster return to the launch pad, SpaceX could share detailed views of the rocket's engine bay. These showed the Raptor engines at the rocket's base glowing red hot despite not firing as the booster cut through the atmosphere for landing. The engine glow is not visible on the Falcon 9 boosters, and after Flight 5, Elon Musk confirmed that some of the booster's engine nozzles had warped from the heating.
Musk added that the fix was easy, but he did not share details about Starship's grid fins, likely because, at the time of his initial assessment, SpaceX might not have physically inspected them. However, a closer look at Starship Flight 5 footage shows that the fins did go out of shape during stage separation. However, as the outcome of Flight 5 confirms, they were nevertheless able to perform as expected to safely guide the rocket back to the launch pad.
These fins are likely manufactured out of steel and they are responsible for guiding Super Heavy back to the pad after stage separation. SpaceX also uses similar fins to guide the Falcon 9 rocket booster, but unlike the Falcon, Starship's upper stage separates after firing its engines to push away from the Super Heavy. This was a late design addition to Starship's launch profile, and it took place after Starship Flight 1 failed during this portion of its ascent phase.
Since SpaceX did not change the fins after changing the stage separation profile, it is likely that the firm determined that fin damage from separation might not be significant enough to affect booster return. Footage from previous Starship tests does not show the grid fins as closely during stage separation as in Flight 5, but since Starship Super Heavy successfully maneuvered itself back to the launch site, SpaceX might not be too hard pressed to upgrade the fins for Flight 6.
Additionally, as Flight 5 marked the first successful tower catch for Super Heavy, SpaceX might also have deliberately chosen cheaper steel to make the fins as they were not being recovered before it. With tower catches now potentially set to be a regular feature of Starship tests, these fins might be upgraded to use titanium like on the Falcon rocket boosters to increase their durability.
Starship hot-staging separation pic.twitter.com/6tRw2OjtMm
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024
Updated second paragraph at 1:21:19 am ET which inaccurately stated Raptor 3 engines. These engines have not been used on any flight.
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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