VIDEO: SpaceX Starship Explodes In An Epic Test Mission
In a historic event, the colossal 397ft two-stage rocket, hailed as the largest and most powerful ever constructed, soared above the Gulf of Mexico from SpaceX's launch site near Boca Chica, owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The objective was ambitious: reaching an altitude of 150 miles, allowing the spacecraft to circumnavigate the globe before plunging into the Pacific near Hawaii 90 minutes post-launch. However, optimism waned as the super heavy first-stage booster, having seemingly separated successfully, met an untimely demise through an explosion shortly after that.
Although the primary Starship craft persevered into space, hope dwindled when mission control lost contact with the vehicle. SpaceX's livestream host, John Insprucker, conveyed the setback: "We have lost the data from the second stage... we think we may have lost the second stage."
Approximately eight minutes into the test mission, a camera tracking the core Starship booster revealed an explosion, indicating a failure to reach the targeted altitude of 91 miles (148km).
In response, SpaceX addressed the setback on the social media site X, stating, "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 multi-planetary."
Originally scheduled for Friday, the launch experienced a one-day delay due to a last-minute alteration in flight-control hardware. This setback follows the Starship's brief maiden flight in April, lasting only four minutes before a catastrophic explosion led to the wreckage crashing into the Gulf.
Since that incident, SpaceX implemented numerous enhancements to both the booster and its 33 engines and refined the launch pad. The success of this rocket is integral to NASA's aspirations of sending astronauts back to the moon. At the same time, Elon Musk envisions Starship as a potential vehicle for future missions to Mars. The outcome of this recent test, despite its challenges, will contribute valuable insights to further enhance the reliability of Starship for future interplanetary endeavours.
