3 ms·

I don't think it is a setback. They are building them all the time and they are iterating very fast. I don't think they are close to reusing them so they are ju

• Geee 6y ago
  The next one (in a few days) is SN15, which is a major upgrade with "hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine.", according to Elon. "Next major technology rev is at SN20. Those ships will be orbit-capable with heat shield & stage separation system. Ascent success probability is high. However, SN20+ vehicles will probably need many flight attempts to survive Mach 25 entry heating & land intact." Surviving the orbital entry and landing is probably the most difficult challenge yet. After that the next major challenge is landing on Mars.
• elihu 6y ago
  According to the article, they're probably going to skip over SN12, 13, and 14 in order to try with a later design. That makes sense, since it's likely that several crashes happen between when construction starts on a new rocket and it finishes. Once it's done, they may have design might already be out of date. > Fortunately, as part of its iterative development program, SpaceX is building a Starship vehicle at a rate of every two to three weeks. So the next prototype—likely to be SN15 as the company skips ahead toward a more advanced version—may be ready to fly in several weeks. Still, SpaceX would have liked to have gotten this one back in one piece.