Subject: =?UTF-8?B?4oCc4oCcSnVzdCBhIFNjcmF0Y2jigJ06IEVsb24gTXVzayBSZWFjdHMg?=
=?UTF-8?Q?to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test=E2=80=9D?=

““Just a Scratch”: Elon Musk Reacts to Massive Explosion of Starship During Launchpad Test”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/06/just-scratch-elon-musk-reacts-massive-explosion-starship/

“Almost an hour and a half later, Musk posted regarding a possible
cause, “Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload
bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms
that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.””

Huh, I guess that they are using nitrogen for venting the pipes. I
guess the pipe venting did not work and so the LNG and the LOX got
together and had a huge explosion.

Lynn


--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Subject: Re: =?UTF-8?B?4oCc4oCcSnVzdCBhIFNjcmF0Y2jigJ06IEVsb24gTXVzayBSZWFjdHMg?=
=?UTF-8?Q?to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test=E2=80=9D?=

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

Almost an hour and a half later, Musk posted regarding a possible
cause, Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload
bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms
that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.

Strong oxidizers are scary no matter what. Cold strong oxidizers have
even more to be scared about.

The problem here is that this is now a production system and is no longer experimental... so failures like this are being paid for directly by
the taxpayer.

Given Trump and Musk's on-again off-again relationship, I could see anything
at all happening. Maybe the contract will be cancelled completely and we won't be paying for SpaceX services at all. Maybe everything will be handed over to the contractor without any oversight. Maybe (it could happen!) there will be proper inspection and contract management like there was in the beginning. Maybe something else will happen.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Subject: Re: =?UTF-8?B?4oCc4oCcSnVzdCBhIFNjcmF0Y2jigJ06IEVsb24gTXVzayBSZWFjdHMg?=
=?UTF-8?Q?to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test=E2=80=9D?=

In article <1039112$kcg$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

Almost an hour and a half later, Musk posted regarding a possible
cause, Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload
bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms >>that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.

Strong oxidizers are scary no matter what. Cold strong oxidizers have
even more to be scared about.

My older brother ran UW's ChemStores for a couple of decades, and
collected graphic tales of horrific mishaps in a bid to convince
UW's chemists to avoid unnecessary risk*.

One story involved a delivery of LOX, a slow leak, and the drip
drip drip of liquid oxygen onto asphalt. Turns out if you saturate
asphalt with oxygen, you get something that is both unstable and
capable of spectacular and swift energy production.

* Such as carefully overcoming the threading on gas tanks to fill
an N2 glove box with H2.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Public Access Networks Corp. (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Subject: =?UTF-8?B?UmU6IOKAnOKAnEp1c3QgYSBTY3JhdGNo4oCdOiBFbG9uIE11c2sgUmVh?=
=?UTF-8?Q?cts_to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test?=
=?UTF-8?B?4oCd?=

On 6/22/2025 9:38 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

Almost an hour and a half later, Musk posted regarding a possible
cause, Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload
bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms
that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.

Strong oxidizers are scary no matter what. Cold strong oxidizers have
even more to be scared about.

The problem here is that this is now a production system and is no longer experimental... so failures like this are being paid for directly by
the taxpayer.

I think you're a tad confused. Starship is definitely NOT a production
system. Its still very much experimental, with significant changes from
flight to flight, as they iterated towards something that's less
explody.

All the recent RUDs have been with Block 2 models. Some of us wonder
when we'll move on to Block 3, which will incorporate a lot of lessons
from Blocks 1 & 2.

pt

--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Subject: =?UTF-8?B?UmU6IOKAnOKAnEp1c3QgYSBTY3JhdGNo4oCdOiBFbG9uIE11c2sgUmVh?=
=?UTF-8?Q?cts_to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test?=
=?UTF-8?B?4oCd?=

On 6/22/2025 8:38 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

Almost an hour and a half later, Musk posted regarding a possible
cause, Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload
bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms
that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.

Strong oxidizers are scary no matter what. Cold strong oxidizers have
even more to be scared about.

The problem here is that this is now a production system and is no longer experimental... so failures like this are being paid for directly by
the taxpayer.

Given Trump and Musk's on-again off-again relationship, I could see anything at all happening. Maybe the contract will be cancelled completely and we won't be paying for SpaceX services at all. Maybe everything will be handed over to the contractor without any oversight. Maybe (it could happen!) there will be proper inspection and contract management like there was in the beginning. Maybe something else will happen.
--scott

Nope, experimental. The first production Starship will have dozens of
Version 3 Starlink satellites in it. You will know when.

Is there another contractor / entity on this planet that can reliably
lift 22,800 kg payloads to LEO reliably and on a weekly basis ? That
has 490 completed missions to date ?
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9/

Lynn


--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Subject: Re: =?UTF-8?B?UmU6IOKAnOKAnEp1c3QgYSBTY3JhdGNo4oCdOiBFbG9uIE11c2sgUmVh?=
=?UTF-8?Q?cts_to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test?=
=?UTF-8?B?4oCd?=

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

Is there another contractor / entity on this planet that can reliably
lift 22,800 kg payloads to LEO reliably and on a weekly basis ? That
has 490 completed missions to date ?

No, that's the problem. Sole-source contracts are bad for everyone, and
you want to do everything possible to avoid them.
--=scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Subject: =?UTF-8?B?UmU6IOKAnOKAnEp1c3QgYSBTY3JhdGNo4oCdOiBFbG9uIE11c2sgUmVh?=
=?UTF-8?Q?cts_to_Massive_Explosion_of_Starship_During_Launchpad_Test?=
=?UTF-8?B?4oCd?=

On 6/22/2025 6:58 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

Is there another contractor / entity on this planet that can reliably
lift 22,800 kg payloads to LEO reliably and on a weekly basis ? That
has 490 completed missions to date ?

No, that's the problem. Sole-source contracts are bad for everyone, and
you want to do everything possible to avoid them.
--=scott

Start one then.

Lynn


--- MBSE BBS v1.1.1 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)