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SpaceX's most recent launch went awry and they triggered the self-destruct. Crewed missions have a launch escape system which is a high-thrust rocket that can get the capsule clear of the main rocket body in emergencies.

After the launch-escape, self-destructing the crippled rocket would reduce downrange threats to the ground. But for every safety feature you must consider what happens if it is accidentally activated. So presumably it's not worth the risk to include a detonate-booster feature on crewed missions?

Organic Marble
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Kevin Kostlan
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1 Answers1

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Every crewed launch vehicle so far has had a self-destruct feature. I see no reason why SpaceX's Super Heavy will be any different. The same launch escape system that carries the crew away from a crippled rocket can carry it away from one where the self-destruct system has accidentally activated.

Mark
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  • A crippled rocket which is out of control or at risk of explosion or other malfunction most of the time gives the capsule some time to escape. But doesn't the self-destruct cause a fuel-oxidizer explosion "instantly"? If there is i.e. an electrical short that energizes the wires that detonate the perforation charges there will be no time to get out of the blast radius? – Kevin Kostlan Apr 26 '23 at 08:21
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    @KevinKostlan, a crippled rocket is also one that is breaking up because of a rapid spin, or one where the first stage is exploding from a fire in the engine section. The self-destruct is no more violent than this: it ruptures the fuel tanks, but since the fuel and oxidizer aren't mixed, the result is more of a rapid fire than a fuel-air explosion. – Mark Apr 26 '23 at 09:15
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    Starship will not have a crew escape system https://space.stackexchange.com/q/46079/6944 – Organic Marble Apr 26 '23 at 11:38
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    The problem with such statements is that Starship is both the crew vehicle and (part of) the launch vehicle. Like the STS Orbiter, and that one did not have an FTS as far as I know. – Jörg W Mittag Apr 26 '23 at 14:45
  • @JörgWMittag the Shuttle itself may not have but I think the stack in general did (specifically the SRBs). – fyrepenguin Apr 26 '23 at 16:36
  • Every US crewed launch vehicle. I'm not sure that non-US ones have also had a flight termination system... – PearsonArtPhoto Apr 26 '23 at 20:47
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    @fyrepenguin, the SRBs had a destruct system on every launch, while the External Tank had one up through STS-78. – Mark Apr 26 '23 at 21:12
  • @JörgWMittag Look at the Challenger catastrophe. Watch the boosters after things go wrong--they receive and honor a destruct command. (Note that most of the video out there focuses on the main explosion and doesn't show this. You need to find one that shows the boosters.) – Loren Pechtel Apr 27 '23 at 02:10
  • @LorenPechtel: The SRBs are not the Orbiter. – Jörg W Mittag Apr 27 '23 at 07:38