SpaceX Starship Creates Unprecedented Hole in Earth’s Atmosphere After Explosive Failure

Elon Musk's SpaceX has been making headlines, not just for its ambitious space endeavors, but also for a rather unexpected consequence of its Starship rocket failures. Following the second test flight in November 2023, scientists have discovered that the sheer force of the rocket's explosion created a temporary hole in the Earth's ionosphere – a phenomenon never before observed.

The monumental Starship rocket, designed to break records, inadvertently broke the sky itself. According to recent research, the launch punched through the upper atmosphere, leading to an unprecedented atmospheric disturbance.

The sequence of events went as planned initially, with the booster separating. However, a mere four minutes later, the booster exploded in mid-air. Subsequently, Starship itself detonated at an altitude of approximately 93 miles above Earth's surface. This second explosion proved so powerful that it tore through the ionosphere, the electrically charged layer of the atmosphere vital for radio communication and satellite signals.

Yury Yasyukevich, a leading researcher and ionosphere physicist at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, explained that this is the first recorded instance of a catastrophic event like a rocket explosion causing such a hole. "Usually, such holes form due to chemical reactions from engine fuel," he stated. "But this time, it was caused by the sheer shock wave from the Starship explosion."

Data gathered from satellites and ground observatories revealed that the hole remained open for 30 to 40 minutes before the ionosphere naturally recovered. Yasyukevich's team utilized data from ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers to analyze how the explosion impacted the ionosphere. Their findings highlighted that the shock wave scattered free electrons, disrupting the plasma and creating a depletion in the ionosphere's properties.

Published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters in August 2024, the study suggests that unburnt rocket fuel might have compounded the effect. However, the primary cause was indisputably the shock wave.

While more research is needed to fully understand the implications of such ionospheric holes, this event offers a unique opportunity. As Yasyukevich told TASS, a Russian news agency, "Analyzing the data and understanding their nature, we understand more deeply the structure of the ionosphere, [and] the nature of the phenomena that occur in it."

The November 2023 incident is not the only explosive failure in Starship's test flight history. The first test flight in April 2023 ended similarly, with the rocket self-destructing shortly after launch. Of the eight test flights to date, four have been explosive failures. Most recently, flights seven and eight saw the booster return successfully, but the upper stage exploded after lift-off. SpaceX is preparing for its ninth test flight, slated for no earlier than May 20.

What are the long-term consequences of these atmospheric disturbances? This unprecedented event raises questions about the environmental impact of large-scale rocket launches. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

• Elon Musk
• SpaceX
• Starship