nuclear-news

Unmanned Starship explodes over gulf after liftoff

Story by Christian Davenport

SpaceX’s Starship lifted off the pad in Southern Texas and cleared the launchpad, its first milestone, but then began tumbling as it was preparing for stage separation and the vehicle came apart some four minutes i

SpaceX’s Starship lifted off the pad in Southern Texas and cleared the launchpad, its first milestone, but then began tumbling as it was preparing for stage separation and the vehicle came apart some four minutes into flight. “Obviously this does not appear to be a nominal situation,” SpaceX’s John Insprucker said during the broadcast.

SpaceX’s Kate Tice said it was unclear what caused the rocket to come apart. She said that “teams will continue to review the data and work toward our next flight test.”

Still, since it was a test, SpaceX hailed the flight as a success because it would provide the company new information about how the vehicle performs in real life that will help them on future flights. And it did not damage the launchpad, a risk SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had said was his greatest worry.

There were no people on board.

It is not clear when the company might try to fly again. On Twitter, Elon Musk said the company “learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”

The rocket was about four minutes into flight when it exploded. It is not known yet what caused the explosion or whether SpaceX officials deliberately destroyed the rocket as it tumbled out of control over the Gulf of Mexico.

• The Federal Aviation Administration has assumed control of the investigation as it does with all failed rocket attempts. It said there were no reports of injuries or property damage because of the failure.
• Despite the disappointing ending to the test, congratulations poured into SpaceX for its first successful launch of the integrated Super Heavy Booster and Starship vehicle.

April 22, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized