Starship test ends in third explosion, SpaceX presses on
On Tuesday, 28 May, Starship conducted its ninth test flight. However, Elon Musk's company developing it is not faring well, as for the third consecutive time, an explosion occurred. Once again, this resulted in spectacular sights in the sky, which caught the attention of numerous observers around the world.
Social media quickly filled with photos and recordings of the event. As usual, Starship launched from the Starbase spaceport in Texas. It successfully ascended and separated. Although it travelled further than during previous missions, the planned objectives were not achieved.
Starship exploded
During its return to Earth, upon re-entering the atmosphere, Starship disintegrated. This happened over the Indian Ocean. The most spectacular recordings were captured in Southern African countries.
"After the engines were shut down, the Ship, due to a leak, went into a wild, uncontrolled spin, leading to its premature atmospheric entry over Africa. And if you were to watch only one video from last night, it should be the footage from Mateusz Kalisz from AstroLife, who, during a LIVE observation from Namibia, captured the Ship's atmospheric entry! Excellent work, kudos for vigilance!" explained Karol Wojcicki, science populariser, author of the channel "Head in the Stars."
SpaceX does not intend to give up
Starship is currently the largest rocket in the world. It measures 120 metres in height and 9 metres in diameter. Its test flights aim to reduce the cost of access to low Earth orbit and ultimately accelerate manned missions to the Moon (as part of the Artemis III mission).
This time, SpaceX planned to deploy Starlink satellites mock-ups during the flight, which was not achieved. A partial success was that the first stage of the rocket, the Super Heavy booster, landed in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico (despite engine failures).
SpaceX does not intend to give up. In a statement issued after the third consecutive failed flight, it was stated that more tests are planned.
It was noted that teams will continue analyzing the data and preparing for the next flight test. In this type of testing, success is measured by the insights gained, and the latest attempt is expected to contribute to improving Starship’s reliability as SpaceX pursues its goal of making life multiplanetary.
