Less than ten minutes after its launch, the SpaceX Starship lost contact with control teams and exploded in the sky, marking another setback for the company. This incident is the second Starship test flight to explode shortly after takeoff this year.
On March 6, ground control lost communication with the spacecraft just minutes after its launch, resulting in a breakup that sent fiery debris falling, which prompted the FAA to temporarily halt air traffic at several Florida airports.
This latest mishap follows a similar incident that occurred almost two months ago, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who is also an unofficial presidential aide.
The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket launched from the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time (23:30 GMT).
The initial phase of the flight was successful, with the booster separating and returning safely to Earth, where it was caught midair by a crane.
However, the upper section of the Starship began to spin as multiple engines shut down. “Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we’ve got some practice now,” said SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot during a live stream of the event.
Both test flights this year failed at stages previously passed in earlier tests, representing a significant challenge for Musk’s ambitious timeline to expedite the program by 2025.
The launch in January also ended in an explosion after around eight minutes, causing debris to rain down over several Caribbean islands and resulting in minor damage to a vehicle in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Musk aims to send humans to Mars by the end of the decade, with the Starship programme being central to that vision. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that SpaceX must conduct a thorough investigation of the incident in order to secure approval for future flights.
( Source : DW )
