Scott Johnson
May 20th, 2023
The launch of Starship 24 / Super Heavy Booster 7 during its April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
It’s been a month since SpaceX’s Starship Integrated Flight Test from Starbase, Texas, and we thought we’d share a few our previously unpublished photos.
The day before launch — April 19, 2023 — at Starbase, Texas. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Ship 24 and Booster 7 on the Starbase Orbital Launch Mount, viewed from Boca Chica Beach on April 19, 2023. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Ship 24 and Booster 7 on Starbase’s Orbital Launch Mount, viewed from Texas State Highway 4 / Boca Chica Boulevard on April 19, 2023. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Ship 24 and Booster 7 on the Orbital Launch Mount, viewed from Texas State Highway 4 / Boca Chica Boulevard on April 19, 2023. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
The crowd gathered at South Padre Island’s Isla Blanca Park a few minutes prior to the April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
A view of Ship 24 and Booster 7 from South Padre Island’s Isla Blanca Park, a few minutes prior to the April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
The integrated Ship 24 and Booster 7 ascends from launch debris and sand during its April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Ship 24 / Super Heavy Booster 7 in flight over the Gulf of Mexico during the April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
A close-up of Super Heavy Booster 7’s 33 Raptor engines during its April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight with Ship 24. There appears to be an engine failure in progress. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Ship 24 / Super Heavy Booster 7 in flight over the Gulf of Mexico during the April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Ship 24 / Super Heavy Booster 7 beginning to veer off course over the Gulf of Mexico, during the April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Debris falling from the sky, over the Gulf of Mexico, at the conclusion of the April 20, 2023, Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
An April 23, 2023, view of Starbase’s Orbital Launch Mount following the April 20 Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
An April 23, 2023, view of Starbase Orbital Launch Mount debris following the April 20 Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
An April 23, 2023, view of Starbase Orbital Launch Mount debris following the April 20 Integrated Test Flight. Credit: Scott Johnson / Spaceflight Insider
Scott Johnson
Scott earned both a Bachelor’s Degree in public administration, and a law degree, from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He currently practices law in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood. Scott first remembers visiting Marshall Space Flight Center in 1978 to get an up-close look at the first orbiter, Enterprise, which had been transported to Huntsville for dynamic testing. More recently, in 2006, he participated in an effort at the United States Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) to restore the long-neglected Skylab 1-G Trainer. This led to a volunteer position, with the USSRC curator, where he worked for several years maintaining exhibits and archival material, including flown space hardware.
Scott attended the STS – 110, 116 and 135 shuttle launches, along with Ares I-X, Atlas V MSL and Delta IV NROL-15 launches. More recently, he covered the Atlas V SBIRS GEO-2 and MAVEN launches, along with the Antares ORB-1, SpaceX CRS-3, and Orion EFT-1 launches.
