SpaceX’s Starship Explodes Minutes After Launch After Successful Booster Catch, Debris Re-Enters Atmosphere (Screengran) | x/Elon Musk
Texas: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship prototype failed after it exploded minutes after the launch from Texas on Thursday, January 16. The spacecraft lost control after 8 1/2 minutes into the flight. After the newly upgraded Starship exploded fragments of space debris re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the Caribbean. Elon Musk’s company said the spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight, reported The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the launch tower’s mechanical arms, dubbed “chopsticks,” caught the returning booster.”Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability,” SpaceX said in its X post.
As per the AP report, the spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights. “It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,” said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot as quoted by the global news agency. He further added that it would take time to analyse the data and figure out what happened.
Tweet By SpaceX:
SpaceX CEO Musk also posted a video on X showing the debris reentering the Earth’s atmosphere with a caption, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
Video Of Debris Re-entering Earth’s Atmosphere:
The last data received from the spacecraft reportedly indicated an altitude of 90 miles (146 kilometres) and a velocity of 13,245 mph (21,317 kph).
Visuals Of ‘Chopsticks’ Catching The Booster:
The rocket was launched from Boca Chica near the Mexican border. The mission aimed at key experimental objectives, including executing a “hot staging” separation between the Super Heavy booster and Starship, reported India Today.
Notably, SpaceX also upgraded the spacecraft for the latest experiment. The test satellites were the same size as SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites and, like the spacecraft, were meant to be destroyed upon entry.
