Flame deflector

[3] The primary goal of the diverter is to prevent the flame from causing damage to equipment, infrastructure, or the surrounding environment.

This is essential to prevent the potentially destructive effects of the high-temperature gases and to reduce the acoustic impact of the ignition.

During the Apollo program the need for a flame deflector was a determining factor in the design of the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39.

The flame deflector and trench determined the height and width of the octagonal shaped launch pad.

It separated the exhaust of the orbiter main engines and of the solid rocket boosters into two flame trenches.

[7] During the first orbital test flight of SpaceX's Starship vehicle in April 2023, the launch mount of Starbase was substantially damaged due to the lack of a flame diverter system.

The main flame deflector in the flame trench at Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It deflects the plume exhaust from NASA's Space Launch System rocket during launch. It features a new "steel plated" design and incorporates water pipes for sound suppression. [ 1 ]
The Shuttle flame trench-deflector system under a vehicle ready for launch.
A Soyuz rocket erected into position at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2009. The flame deflector and pit is visible below.