SpaceX release Starship launch footage from an angle I didn't think was possible

SpaceX has released footage of the recent Starship Flight 8, showcasing the monstrous power of the Super Heavy booster from an extremely interesting camera angle.

The above footage shows the 33 Raptor engines equipped to the Super Heavy booster ignite and carry the rocket, which is approximately the size of a 20-story building, up to orbit. The recent flight marked the eighth test flight of Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, and also marked a hat-trick for Mechazilla tower catches of the booster Super Heavy, which, after separating from the upper stage of the rocket, made its way back down to the launch pad to safely land in the arms of the launch tower - approximately two and half minutes after liftoff.

As for the recent footage released by SpaceX, I didn't think it was possible to capture the ignition of the 33 Raptor engines from beneath the booster, given the intense temperatures, especially at such a close distance. As I am not a rocket engineer, I decided to ask X's AI Grok what the temperature of the environment beneath Super Heavy during Flight 8, and the answer it provided can be found below. In short, each Raptor engine generates 8.75 GW (gigawatts) of thermal energy per second, which equates to 288 GW of thermal power during ignition and flight due to the presence of 33 Raptor engines.

Gigawatts of Thermal Power:

• Per Raptor engine: ~8.75 GW (gigawatts) of thermal energy released per second
• Total for 33 engines: ~288 GW of thermal power during ignition and flight

Temperature:

• Exhaust plume: Exceeds 3,000°C (5,400°F) at the nozzle exit
• Stagnation temperature under launch mount (after air mixing): Up to 1,700 K (1,427°C or 2,600°F)
• Localized heating on launch pad: Surface heat flux of 1.5-1.75 MW/m² (mitigated by water-cooling)

The resulting temperature from the exhaust plume exceeds 3,000 degrees Celcius, with estimates of up to 1,427°C or 2,600°F under the launch mount and after air has been mixed in. It should be noted these are just estimations to show the environment beneath Super Heavy is ridiculously dangerous, even to cameras. I'd love to know where the camera was situated to capture the above footage, what camera was used, and how it was protected from the intensity of the Raptor engines.

SpaceX deemed Flight 8 a success, but it didn't come without its fumbles. While Super Heavy made it back to the launch pad, SpaceX unfortunately lost contact with the rocket's upper stage, resulting in a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly protocol being initiated, or boom.

The return of the upper stage back to the surface of Earth in the form of a splashdown is SpaceX's next big challenge, and it's proving to be a difficult one to overcome, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently explaining in an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast the return of the upper stage of the rocket will require a technological engineering breakthrough.

• Read more: Elon Musk reveals the biggest problem SpaceX is facing with Starship