[Reading Science] US Breaks Through Atmosphere & Airburst in Japan... Civilian Rocket War

SpaceX's super heavy spacecraft 'Starship,' which will guide humanity to the Moon and Mars, made significant progress in its third flight. Although it failed to achieve the ultimate goal of landing at the target site, the emphasis is more on success than failure. In contrast to SpaceX's progress, a Japanese private rocket exploded just five seconds after launch, casting a shadow over future development. This has led to the assessment that the United States' rapid advancement in the new space era will continue for the time being.

SpaceX's Starship was launched on the 14th (local time) from Boca Chica, Texas, USA, heading into the sky. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Following two test launches last year, Starship made its third attempt on the 14th (local time). This time, it flew for 48 minutes and even reached Earth orbit. Compared to the consecutive explosions in the two test launches last year, this is a considerable advancement. Starship exploded after 4 minutes in the first launch in March last year and after 8 minutes in the second launch, but this time was different. Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built by humans, finally showcased the sight of flying into space instead of exploding. The separation of the launch vehicle 'Super Heavy' rocket and Starship was also successful.

Starship is a spacecraft developed by SpaceX, founded by CEO Elon Musk of Tesla, with the goal of sending people and cargo to the Moon and Mars. Starship is 50 meters long and 9 meters in diameter, capable of carrying 150 tons of cargo. When combined with the first-stage launch vehicle Super Heavy (71 meters long), the total length reaches 121 meters. This is longer than the Saturn rocket that sent humanity to the Moon. The Super Heavy rocket is rated as the most powerful rocket ever, with a thrust of 17 million pounds when operating normally.

As Starship enters the atmosphere, red flames are appearing on the exterior of the hull.

Starship flew half a lap around the Earth at an altitude of over 200 km for 48 minutes, and the process was broadcast live through cameras. The broadcast was conducted via SpaceX's satellite internet service Starlink. Communication was established between the satellite launched by Musk and the rocket heading into space. Although it failed, the live broadcast of the heat shield generating red flames (plasma) due to friction with the atmosphere during re-entry attracted attention.

All 33 Raptor engines used in the Super Heavy rocket operated normally. The engine power propelled the spacecraft at a speed of 26,500 km/h. This is the most powerful figure among rockets developed by humanity. With all 33 engines operating normally, the performance and reliability of Super Heavy have also increased.

The successful separation of Super Heavy and Starship using the 'hot staging' method, first adopted in the second test launch, is also considered an important milestone. The scene of hot staging was broadcast live through cameras. This method, used in Russia, involves igniting the engine while Starship is still attached to the Super Heavy booster to separate. It prevents thrust reduction that can occur during second-stage separation. SpaceX succeeded in hot staging in just two attempts. Now, Starship can carry more weight. This is an important factor that increases the economic efficiency of the spacecraft. In other words, it means an increase in the weight of people or cargo that can be sent to the Moon or Mars. Musk also expected about a 10% increase in payload capacity when using hot staging.

Starship succeeded in breaking through the atmosphere in just three attempts. If stable atmospheric re-entry and landing are achieved, Musk's ambition to send people to Mars will no longer be considered a reckless challenge. Although it failed to complete atmospheric re-entry this time, as it was the first attempt, it is expected that continuous test launches will increase the chances of success.

According to the U.S. aerospace industry and media, SpaceX has requested permission from authorities for more than nine test launches this year, including this launch. This means there will be about one test launch per month. During this process, attempts may be made to re-enter and land Starship, land the Super Heavy rocket, launch with Starlink satellites onboard, and even leave Starship in Earth orbit. There is also speculation about refueling tests between Starships in space.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, welcomed the end of the Starship test flight on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Starship will take humanity to Mars." NASA also watched SpaceX's challenge anxiously. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on X, "We are making great progress on the Artemis project, which aims to return humanity to the Moon and look toward Mars." Nelson emphasized the need for Starship's success. NASA has decided to use Starship for the third phase of the Artemis project, which will send humans to the Moon for the first time in half a century. The Artemis phase 3 project was originally scheduled for 2025 but was suddenly postponed to 2026 at the end of last year. This delay is analyzed to be due to setbacks in private rocket development.

While Musk's challenge is gradually becoming a reality, a Japanese private rocket developed to compete with SpaceX embarrassed itself by exploding just five seconds after its first launch attempt on the 13th. 'Kairos' No. 1, developed by Space One, established in 2018 with investments from Japanese major companies Canon Electronics and IHI Aerospace, detected an anomaly five seconds after launch and self-destructed in mid-air. The goal of placing satellites into Earth orbit instantly turned into flames. Japan has expressed strong determination to catch up with the U.S. in the private space era. Plans were also presented to launch Kairos 20 times a year. Kairos's performance can place 150 kg payloads into sun-synchronous orbit and 250 kg payloads into low Earth orbit. However, this launch failure has made it difficult to avoid skepticism. There are also predictions that competing with SpaceX will be challenging.

Japan's privately developed rocket Kairos exploded immediately after launch on the 13th. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

It is difficult for government agencies such as the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which invest large-scale funds, to catch up with SpaceX, which emphasizes efficiency in the private-led 'new space' era. Launch costs are a decisive reason why Japanese rockets lag behind SpaceX in competition. SpaceX launches have recently had no failures, and due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian launch vehicles are no longer available, leading to a monopoly in the market. An industry insider promoting satellite launches through SpaceX said, "Due to SpaceX's monopoly, launch prices have also soared."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.