ELON Musk’s SpaceX Starship blew apart on its third test flight in a row – its bottom part slamming into the Gulf of Mexico before fiery debris rained down into the Indian Ocean.
Despite fuel leaks dooming the 403-foot mega-rocket, tech tycoon Musk remains optimistic that his rockets will one day ferry people to the moon and Mars.
The rocket is said to have lifted off smoothly from its launch site Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, in what marked its ninth test flight.
But its success was short-lived – after just 30 minutes, the spacecraft began spinning out of control as it skimmed space.
A SpaceX commentator said during a livestream: “Our chances of making it all the way down to the Indian Ocean are pretty slim.”
The company later said that the rocket experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly”, in other words, it burst apart.
Musk said in a post on X that the test was a “big improvement over last flight” in March which ended in flaming debris over the Atlantic.
He explained there was “no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent” and that “leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase”.
He added that that it has given them “lots of good data to review“, promising a “faster” launch pace: one spacecraft mission every three to four weeks for the next three flights.
The spacecraft consists of two parts: a first-stage booster known as Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft dubbed Starship.
It was the first time one of Musk’s Starships flew with a recycled booster.
Contact with the booster was lost and as a result, the Super Heavy slammed into the Gulf of Mexico in pieces while the spacecraft continued toward the Indian Ocean.
Several dummy satellites were also supposed to be launched, but a door on the ship did not reportedly open as planned.
John Cremeans, XStunning footage of the spacecraft burning through the sky over Namibia was captured by YouTuber AstroLife[/caption] AFPPeople wait on South Padre Island to watch the rocket launch from Starbase[/caption]Incredible footage has circulated on social media showing the spacecraft’s explosion, as seen from different parts of the world.
A YouTuber named AstroLife captured dramatic footage of the blazing Starship spinning out of control over Namibia.
Another user on X also shared a video of the spacecraft exploding, with the caption: “Just saw Super Heavy blow up. What a crazy sight.”
It comes as the last two test flights – in January and March – never made it past the Caribbean, failing just minutes after liftoff.
In contrast to May’s flight, March’s booster successfully returned to the launch pad, caught by SpaceX’s giant mechanical arms as planned.
In January, the rocket exploded over the Bahamas just eight minutes into its seventh test.
Airline travel is disrupted during these demos which require clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
SpaceX‘As you can see in some of the views and from some of the telemetry, we are in a little bit of a spin,’ a commentator said during the webcast[/caption] Read More Details
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