After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening, but fell short of the main objectives when the spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart.
The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off on its ninth demo from Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas.
Then the spacecraft began spinning as it skimmed space toward an uncontrolled landing in the Indian Ocean.
WATCH: NASA and SpaceX launch SPHEREx observatory telescope, mission to study formation of galaxy SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” or burst apart.
READ MORE: SpaceX launches Starship rocket, but abandons attempt to catch booster at launch site Communication ceased before the spacecraft came down, and SpaceX ended its webcast soon afterward.
SpaceX launched its massive rocket Starship again Tuesday night after two consecutive explosions, but the spacecraft broke apart and tumbled out of control, missing its primary goals.
On the ninth demonstration, the 403-foot (123-meter) rocket took off from SpaceX’s launch facility, Starbase, located at the southernmost point of Texas. This month, the populace decided to formally organize as a city.
After liftoff, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had planned to launch a number of dummy satellites, but that plan was shelved because the door wouldn’t open all the way. Then, as it skimmed space on its way to an uncontrollably landing in the Indian Ocean, the spacecraft started to spin.
Watch the launch of the SPHEREx observatory telescope by NASA and SpaceX, which will be used to study galaxy formation.
The spacecraft had “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” or ruptured, according to a later confirmation from SpaceX. According to a statement posted online, “teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.”.
In an X post, Musk said that it was a “significant improvement” over the two earlier demonstrations that ended with flaming debris over the Atlantic. He pledged a quicker launch pace going forward, with a Starship soaring every three to four weeks for the next three flights, despite the most recent setback.
Musk’s Starships, which are designed to travel to the moon and Mars, used a recycled booster for the first time. By pushing it to its limits, the company had no intention of using giant chopsticks to catch the booster back at the launch pad. As the spacecraft continued toward the Indian Ocean, contact with the booster was lost at one point, and it crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in fragments.
After that, the spacecraft lost control, presumably as a result of fuel leaks.
Dan Huot, a SpaceX flight commentator, stated, “A lot of our on-orbit objectives for today don’t look great.”. The company had intended to use a controlled reentry to test the spacecraft’s heat shield.
READ MORE: SpaceX launches a Starship rocket but gives up trying to capture the booster at the launch location.
Before the spacecraft crashed, communication stopped, and shortly after, SpaceX shut down its webcast.
Neither of the two Starships before it ever left the Caribbean. This year’s demos ended minutes after takeoff, dumping debris into the sea. Despite the disruption to airline travel, there were no reports of serious damage or injuries. By extending the hazard area and delaying the liftoff past the busiest times for air travel, the Federal Aviation Administration last week approved Starship for another flight.
SpaceX installed unique catch fittings and made modifications to the most recent spacecraft’s thermal tiles in addition to making repairs and improvements. Similar to the boosters, the company wanted to test the add-ons for catching future versions back at the pad, but this one was designed to sink in the Indian Ocean.
For NASA to successfully return humans to the moon, SpaceX must make significant progress over the course of the upcoming year with Starship, the largest and most potent rocket ever constructed. The four astronauts in next year’s moonshot will circle the moon but not touch down. A starship will be needed to transport two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and back again, and that will happen no earlier than 2027.
