Base on just one video from LabPadre, one can assume that extensive damage was caused as a result of the test launch of the world’s most powerful rocket. A Virtual Reality (VR) camera placed on a truck showed one of the remote camera sites getting blasted with concrete. This included the NASA Space Flight camera van getting hit in the rear windshield by a piece of concrete.
This video was featured on The Weather Channel, ABC, and other national news outlets, oftentimes more than the launch itself. Additionally, this view showed all of Everyday Astronaut‘s and Cosmic Perspective‘s cameras getting toppled over after some of the dust cleared.
Remote Site One
There were two different sites for remote cameras, one inside the fence near Hoppy, and another in the employee parking lot across the road. Reports have indicated that there are no cameras lefts on the railings to Pad A, the location near Hoppy. The area was so dust obscured during launch, that there likely would not have been any photos from that location.
Remote Site Two
The other camera site was located on the other side of Highway 4 in a SpaceX employee parking lot. This is where the media was allowed to live stream from. Some cameras appeared to be torn to shreds, while others survived with scrapes and bruises.
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However, the story of this site came from the NASA Space Flight van that was being used as a camera and live streaming platform. It took a direct hit from a piece of concrete shot out from underneath the orbital launch mount.
As shown via the LabPadre VR camera, rocks and concrete were hurled at the site, and in all directions, when the engines ramped up to full thrust colliding with cameras and other gear. When liftoff occurred, the pressure waves knocked over many cameras, including the full suite of audio and video gear placed by Everyday Astronaut and Cosmic Perspective at the bottom of the frame.
Stage 0 Damage
It is without a doubt that Stage 0 received a heavy amount of damage. As shown in a leaked image, the area under the orbital launch mount (OLM) is now a big crater. Part of the OLM structure is gone, leaving only the rebar to stand. The area around the OLM is now dirt, where concrete once stood.
The ground under the #Starship Orbital Launch Mount, h/t @unrocket
[ooof .gif] pic.twitter.com/3SkNzyRCfH
— Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) April 21, 2023
The tank farm also received a heavy amount of damage. A concrete slab that was broken off and thrown from underneath the OLM is now laying on top of the helium tanks. The protective shells for the propellant tanks are also heavily dented.
The OLM piping received exterior damage from the pressure waves, concrete, and heat blasts. Additionally, some of the shieldings on the stairs and other parts are no longer in place. Some of these pieces, including a door/hatch pictured in the gallery below, were blown hundreds of meters into the sand dunes.
Surrounding Area
To close out the view into the damage caused by Starship’s inaugural launch, the area surrounding the pad was beaten as well. As shown by NSF’s Jack Beyer, the area outside SpaceX property, the dunes, is covered in rocks in what looks to be a Martian landscape. Large chunks of concrete litter the ground and have created large craters.
The Gulf of Mexico also received some concrete. In a video posted by SpaceX, the Gulf appears to showcase many splashes as concrete gets hurled hundreds of meters out when liftoff finally occurs. The fishies definitely thought the world was ending.
Elon’s Prediction
It’s safe to say that Starship may have caused more damage than expected. On Twitter, Elon mentioned that there was work being done on a water-cooled steel plate, which would be placed under the OLM, but was not able to be completed in time. If this was in place, would there be significantly less damage? Elon seems to think so.
Initially after launch, in a conversation with Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, and others from NASA Space Flight, the general census was that it could be a year before Stage 0 is ready to host another Starship launch. The next Ship and Booster are nearing completion, but the ground support equipment may be behind.
However, Elon is never one to be pessimistic when it comes to Starship timelines. He stated on Twitter that Stage 0 could be ready again in “1-2 months”. Only time will tell if this prediction is true, or if it lines up with the “two weeks” he stated in July 2021.
