Test was a setback for owner Elon Musk, who has become an influential figure in president-elect’s transition team
A test launch of SpaceX’s megarocket failed to perform as planned on Tuesday, as president-elect Donald Trump looked on, with flight directors abandoning an effort to catch the vehicle’s reusable booster just minutes into the mission in a setback for SpaceX owner Elon Musk. Trump had travelled to Brownsville, Texas, to witness the sixth test of the unmanned Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built.
The unmanned spacecraft atop the rocket completed a loop around the Earth before descending and crashing into the Indian Ocean. Instead of returning to the pad, the lower-stage booster performed a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico, exploding as it made contact with the surface of the water.
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