SpaceX's Starship rocket suffered another 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' minutes into its latest test flight, failing to complete its intended trajectory around the world. Video footage captured the rocket breaking apart over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, with debris streaking across the sky. While SpaceX successfully recovered the returning booster, the upper stage was lost, prompting an investigation into the cause of the failure.
SpaceX's Starship rocket experienced another 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' just minutes into its latest test flight . The company reported that the 400ft rocket's six engines appeared to shut down one by one during liftoff. Contact was lost eight and a half minutes into the flight. The spacecraft, a new and upgraded model making its debut, was intended to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world, similar to previous test flight s.
However, video footage captured orange balls of light streaking across the sky over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving trails of smoke as it broke apart. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot confirmed that the company had lost all communication with the ship, indicating an anomaly with the upper stage. Airlines were forced to divert flights scheduled over the Gulf of Mexico to avoid potential falling debris. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a video on X showing the debris field and humorously stated, 'Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!' Despite the setback, SpaceX managed to execute a successful booster recovery. A minute after losing contact with the spacecraft, the launch tower's giant mechanical arms, nicknamed 'chopsticks', were used to catch the returning booster. This maneuver, achieved only once before, saw the descending booster hover over the launch pad before being gripped by the arms. However, the elation of the catch was short-lived as the failure of the upper stage cast a shadow over the event. Huot expressed disappointment, stating, 'It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about the ship.' He added that it would take time to analyze the data and determine the cause of the failure. 'It's a flight test. It's an experimental vehicle.' The last data received from the spacecraft indicated an altitude of 90 miles and a velocity of 13,245mph. The gigantic rocket had thundered away in the late afternoon from Boca Chica Beach near the Mexican border, ensuring a daylight entry halfway around the world in the Indian Ocean. Alas, the shiny retro-looking spacecraft never got nearly that far.This was the seventh test flight for the world's biggest and most powerful rocket. NASA has reserved a pair of Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade, while Musk's ultimate goal remains Mars. Hours earlier, in Florida, another billionaire's rocket company - Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin - launched its newest supersized rocket, New Glenn. The rocket reached orbit on its first flight, placing an experimental satellite thousands of miles above Earth. However, the first-stage booster was destroyed, missing its targeted landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic.
Spacex Starship Rocket Test Flight Failure Debris Booster Recovery Elon Musk Jeff Bezos Blue Origin New Glenn Space Exploration NASA
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