The spacecraft’s second test flight ended in failure again on Saturday. The impressive unmanned spaceship from SpaceX was stopped in its flight by two explosions.
The first spacecraft test seven months ago also failed.
This time, the rocket successfully launched from Boca Chica, Texas, and its two stages successfully separated before catching fire.
The rocket consisted of two sections: the Super Heavy propulsion stage with its 33 engines and the spacecraft. Both sections did not survive the test flight.
The spacecraft rose to an altitude of 90 kilometers and was scheduled for a 90-minute flight, but engineers on the ground lost contact after 10 minutes, Elon Musk’s space company said.
The Super Heavy carrier, in turn, exploded over the Gulf of Mexico shortly after Starship separated from it.
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People watch as SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft prepares for a test launch from the Boca Chica launch pad near Brownsville, Texas, U.S., Nov. 17, 2023.
Photo: Portal / GO NAKAMURA
Big ambitions
The mission’s goal was to approach orbit before descending into Earth’s atmosphere and landing off the coast of Hawaii.
If successful, SpaceX would have taken an important step in its quest to develop a large, multifunctional spacecraft that could send astronauts to the moon. Ultimately, SpaceX’s goal is to reach the planet Mars.
SpaceX’s second test flight was closely followed by NASA, which relies on this spacecraft for its return flights to the moon.
US space agency chief Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX on Saturday on the progress of this launch, citing the opportunity to learn and then fly again.
Together, NASA and SpaceX will return humanity to the Moon, Mars and beyond, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
On April 20, Starship took off for the first time in its complete configuration. But several engines malfunctioned and SpaceX intentionally blew up the rocket after four minutes.
With information from Agence France-Presse and Portal
Originally posted 2023-11-18 18:12:22.