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Comment by rkagerer | Hacker News Reader

Any technical specifics available yet on the reason the catch was aborted? Eg. Which parameters were out of range.

> Following a nominal ascent and stage separation, the booster successfully transitioned to its boostback burn to begin the return to launch site. During this phase, automated health checks of critical hardware on the launch and catch tower triggered an abort of the catch attempt. The booster then executed a pre-planned divert maneuver, performing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

from here https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-...

SpaceX hasn't yet released anything AFAIK. My wild speculation: not wanting to risk anything with both Trump and Musk being present at the launch site?!

But normally they do risk any other people? No, not at all. People are miles from where the robot could potentially go even after it is remotely aborted/blown up.

It's not just the area where the first stage might touch down, it's how far large pieces of debris might be thrown in a worst case RUD.

Plus, the Secret Service may be feeling far less tolerant of "eh, it's less than a 1 in BigNum chance of anyone getting hurt" odds than your average Tom, Dick, or Harry.

Sounds a bit farfetched, not like they wouldn't hear it later?

Trump, and Musk, and Cruz (US Senator), and Saltzman (USSF General), and a fair number of other VIP's.

Whatever was or wasn't going wrong in the booster during its landing approach, I'd for-sure bet that the "acceptable" parameters for a chopstick landing were tightened down quite a ways from the prior launch. (Or such a landing had simply been ruled out, by Security fiat.)

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