SpaceX finally launched the Starship from their Boca Chica launch facility on April 20th. Super Heavy booter #7 lifted Starship #24 to an altitude of nearly 40 kilometers before it started tumbling back to earth. During the liftoff, several of the rocket engines failed, dramatically reducing the lift of the Super Heavy. Also, the multiple failed engines impacted the booter's ability to steer correctly. At approximately 4 minutes into the flight, the flight termination system was activated and both booter and starship were blown to bits that fell into the Gulf of Mexico some miles off the coast. Success? Absolutely!
By flying the rocket, the engineers can determine what doesn't work as expected by looking at the results. This test flight provides a huge number of issues that can now be tackled. I suspect the number one problem is the near destruction of the launch pad. The amount of debris that flew in all directions - doubtless including into several of the failed engines - inflicted considerable damage to the launch site. This is not ideal for rapid reuse. A flame trench looks like a necessity. Such will require massive redesign of the site. A second test in 'a few months' appears unlikely to me. This is a longstanding problem; it seems that every launch has been followed by a new layer of concrete.
The Starship will have to liftoff from the moon or Mars without the benefit of a flame trench, which is why SpaceX has pursued the current path. Of course, Starship doesn't have anywhere near the thrust of a Super Heavy, so perhaps that can work with only 3 engines. Not so for 33 engines.
How are the oil platforms that SpaceX purchased coming along? The ocean should make for a fine flame trench.
