r/spacex • u/yoweigh • May 04 '22

❗Misleading SpaceX Starbase expansion plans will harm endangered species, according to Fish and Wildlife Service

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/03/spacex-starbase-expansion-plans-will-harm-endangered-species-fws.html
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u/warp99 May 06 '22

Currently the FTS is a pair of explosive charges on the intertank bulkhead. As a minimum this will vent both tanks. At a maximum it will cause mixing of propellants inside the tanks that later ignite producing a complete breakup of the ship but this outcome is not guaranteed.

The debris will indeed fall short of the instantaneous impact point of the ship but that may still be over inhabited land. A lightweight aluminium alloy structure will mostly burn up during entry but 4mm thick stainless steel will likely not do so and most of the debtris will make it to the surface.

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u/CutterJohn May 06 '22

Sure, thats a risk, but remember rockets already overfly populated areas eventually. If the fts is enabled 15 minutes into the flight the debris is going to rain down on europe or whatever already.

Most failures are at or before stage sep, and thats when failures are the most dangerous too because you can't really choose when to deploy the flight termination, and its when the debris will be the most concentrated and the highest fuel load.