Phil Metzger \u201900MS \u201905PhD<\/strong> analyzed rock samples from the first SpaceX Starship rocket launch in April 2023 that triggered a unique reaction causing the concrete launchpad to explode and eject material up to six miles away. The blast left a crater where the rocket had been because there was no water suppression or cooling method for the launchpad.<\/p>\nIn a paper presented in April at the 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers Earth and Space Conference, Dotson and Metzger explained that the large rocket\u2019s exhaust superheated the sand underneath the launchpad causing a reaction similar to a volcanic eruption. Sand particles were lofted and accelerated by vaporization of groundwater from the rocket exhaust and were carried away to the nearby town of Port Isabel, Texas.<\/p>\n
Their unique findings may offer context for not just further Earth-based rocket launches, but also lunar-based launches, Dotson says. The knowledge gained from the launchpad\u2019s destruction can provide information about variables related to reducing ejected material on the moon, such as vehicle size, launchpad material and cooling methods, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of folks around the country are studying this problem of how you land and launch a rocket from a dusty, low gravity vacuum environment of the moon,\u201d Dotson says. \u201cI think this research gives us some insights into those models of what we can expect for spacecraft of this size. It helps inform the designs that we’re going to use eventually on the moon once we start to build those more permanent lunar infrastructure pieces. I think as we look at building landing or launchpads on the moon, if we start to build a base, this launch kind of shows us the importance of having maybe breathable launch pads to avoid that huge pressure build up underneath a launchpad.\u201d<\/p>\nThe SpaceX Starship at its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas. Its first test launch was in April 2023 and has since had three more. (Photo courtesy of SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to SpaceX, its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket \u2014 collectively referred to as Starship \u2014 is a 400-foot tall two-stage reusable rocket system designed to carry cargo and up to 100 people into space. Starship is scheduled for use in NASA\u2019s Artemis III and IV missions.<\/p>\n
SpaceX has performed three more Starship test launches since the initial test last April, and SpaceX is anticipating a fifth launch later this year, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.<\/p>\n
The Earth-based launches are useful for determining the capabilities of Starship as it prepares for future missions and to better understand more complicated launch scenarios, Dotson says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat launch tells us a lot about launching a large vehicle of that class on Earth,\u201d he says. \u201cEventually, we\u2019re hoping to get to the point where we\u2019re launching those super heavy class rockets all the time, and eventually on more complicated planetary surfaces like the moon. Not having an atmosphere on the moon is a big deal. When you kick up dust, there\u2019s no atmosphere to slow that dust down. You also can\u2019t rely on the atmosphere to help slow you down like you could on Earth with a parachute. And you also have much less gravity, so you don\u2019t have gravity pulling dust back down to the surface either.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Starship launch provided scientists a rare opportunity to study the failure mechanism, Dotson says<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like that happens every day,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, we try to learn as much as we can from those instances and see what the data tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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