SpaceX's Starship flight ends in third mid‑air explosion
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft, developed by Elon Musk, completed its ninth test flight on Tuesday, exploding in the air for the third consecutive time. The rocket travelled farther than in previous attempts but did not achieve several other mission objectives.
Starship launched from the Starbase in Texas with a slight delay due to technical issues. However, once it ascended, it journeyed farther than in previous missions, breaking apart over the Indian Ocean during re-entry.
Why Starship exploded
The first stage of the rocket, the Super Heavy booster, landed as planned in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but its engines failed when it was supposed to softly settle into the water. Another key element that failed was the release of Starlink satellite dummies during flight; the Starship mechanism did not release them.
Additionally, about 20 minutes after the commencement of the flight, video connection with the craft was lost. Soon after, it was announced that the rocket had a leak, went into an uncontrolled flight, and began spinning around its own axis.
During re-entry, contact was lost, and the craft was destroyed. As a result, SpaceX could not obtain the anticipated measurements concerning the return to Earth.
This is the third consecutive flight
This is the third consecutive flight in which the Starship has crashed, although this time it lasted over 45 minutes, significantly longer than in previous attempts. For the first time with partial success, a previously used Super Heavy booster was employed for liftoff, which this time did not have the plan to land back at the launch site and be caught by the tower’s "chopsticks".
As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly - SpaceX wrote on its profile on the X platform, using jargon for the rocket’s breakup.
- Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary - it added.
Tens of thousands of jobs, billions in private investments
NASA head Jared Isaacman, in turn, stated that although some may focus on failures, behind Starship and other previous large rockets is a "massive space economy taking shape".
Tens of thousands of jobs, billions in private investment, all aimed at truly opening the last great frontier. When these capabilities arrive, they will spearhead a new era of exploration and discovery--and the lows will become a chapter in a much longer story - said a former member of missions organised by SpaceX.
Musk, along with NASA, has high hopes for Starship, as it is intended to be the vehicle that will once again take humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis III mission. It is also supposed to be the ship on which the first astronauts will set foot on the Moon. Back in May, the billionaire announced that this year Starship—not just its booster—would be able to safely land on Earth.
