In a dramatic turn of events, SpaceX's mega-rocket Starship exploded minutes into its test flight on Saturday, resulting in the loss of both the booster and the spacecraft.
The rocket had successfully launched from South Texas and reached space, but communication was abruptly lost.
According to SpaceX officials, it appears that the ship's self-destruct system was responsible for the explosion over the Gulf of Mexico. The flight was nearing completion of its engine firing sequence, intended to set the spacecraft on a global trajectory, when the incident occurred.
This is not the first time a SpaceX test flight has ended in such a manner. A similar explosion occurred during the first test flight in April. On Saturday, the separated booster also exploded over the Gulf about three minutes into the flight. However, by that point, the booster had already completed its task.
Despite the catastrophic ending, the flight lasted approximately eight minutes, twice as long as the test in April. The Starship, standing nearly 400 feet (121 meters) tall, is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Its primary objective is to transport humans to the moon and Mars.
John Insprucker, a SpaceX commentator, praised the successful liftoff, calling it the "real topping on the cake today." His colleague, Kate Tice, added that the flight provided valuable data that would contribute to improvements for future flights.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk observed the launch from behind the controllers at the southern tip of Texas, near Boca Chica Beach. Meanwhile, at the company headquarters in Hawthorne, California, employees celebrated as the Starship ascended at dawn. However, the mood quickly shifted when it became apparent that the spaceship had been destroyed and had crashed into the Gulf. The booster also ended up in the Gulf.
The goal for this flight was to reach an altitude of 150 miles (240 kilometers), sufficient to send the bullet-shaped spacecraft around the globe before landing in the Pacific near Hawaii, approximately 1.5 hours post-liftoff. This would have fallen short of a full orbit.
Following the April flight demo, SpaceX implemented numerous improvements to the booster, its 33 engines, and the launch pad. The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light for the flight on Wednesday, after confirming that all safety and environmental concerns had been addressed.
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