Private spaceflight company SpaceX’s first integrated test flight for its Starship — touted by billionaire founder Elon Musk as the world’s most powerful rocket — ended with the 400-foot-tall craft exploding shortly after liftoff.
“Starship just experienced what we call a rapid, unscheduled disassembly,” one commentator said during a livestream as the rocket exploded over its South Texas launch site.
Starship’s breakup came while the rocket was still attached to its boosters — named Super Heavy — roughly four minutes after liftoff.
Earlier this week, SpaceX nixed the rocket’s first scheduled test flight from Boca Chica, near McAllen, due to a frozen pressure value issue, Musk said in a tweet.
While the rocket’s explosion wasn’t the outcome SpaceX fans wanted, company officials appeared to take the launch as a success. Livestream footage from inside the company’s operation showed personnel cheering as the rocket plummeted back to earth.
“Everyone here is absolutely pumped to clear the pad and make the test flight,” said one of the commenters.
Musk also seemed undeterred, announcing via Twitter that SpaceX will try again in a few months.
The purpose of Starship’s development is to create a fully reusable transport system that can shuttle humans to Mars.
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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 2023.