Elon Musk has revealed what caused the SN10 Starship to explode on its landing pad a minute after touchdown. The SpaceX CEO stated that the engine was on low thrust, likely due to partial helium ingestion. The impact from this occurrence crushed the rocket’s legs and part of its skirt, causing the massive explosion that was shared all over social media and the news. SpaceX is currently seeking to mitigate the issue in its future model, the SN11.
However, the issue may not be an easy fix, according to Chris Bergin of NASA Spaceflight. Helium ingestion was caused by the pressurization system that was implemented as a fix to a previous problem that caused the SN8 Starship’s explosion, according to Bergin. Musk says he had approved the change because it seemed sufficient at the time.
