Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket breaks up, tumbles into ocean in test failure – National | Globalnews.ca
Following multiple failed launches of its Starship rocket, SpaceX is once again dealing with an unsuccessful mission.
The 403-foot-long rocket was launched on its ninth expedition on Tuesday from Starbase — SpaceX’s Texas-based headquarters, which residents recently voted to become an official city — and briefly left the Earth’s atmosphere before spinning out of control and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had planned to launch eight simulator satellites following liftoff, which did not happen because the spacecraft’s doors failed to open fully. Shortly after, it began to spin out of control.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket launches from Starbase during its second test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2023.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/ Getty Images
The company later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” adding in an online statement that its team “will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.”
Despite its scattered descent into the Indian Ocean, the organization said Starship’s ninth flight test “marked a major milestone for reuse with the first flight-proven Super Heavy booster launching from Starbase, and once more returned Starship to space,” adding that data reviews are underway as staff prepare for its next launch.
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Musk shared a video on X of the early stage of the rocket launch and said its ninth turn in space, albeit short-lived, was a “big improvement over last flight,” adding that there was “no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent. Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. Lot of good data to review.”
According to Musk, who recently stepped away from his government duties to focus on his businesses, the “launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks.”
Tuesday’s launch was the first time one of Musk’s Starships, which he intends to send to the moon and Mars, flew with a recycled booster. There were no plans to catch the booster with giant chopsticks back at the launch pad, as with its last launch, with the company instead pushing it to its limits.
Contact with the booster was lost at one point, and it slammed into the Gulf of Mexico in pieces as the spacecraft continued toward the Indian Ocean.
The spacecraft then went out of control, due to the fuel leaks.
SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot said the launch was “not looking great with a lot of our on-orbit objectives for today.”
The company had planned to test the spacecraft’s heat shield during a controlled re-entry, which did not happen.
Communication ended before the spacecraft crashed down, and SpaceX ended its webcast soon afterward.
The previous two Starships never made it past the Caribbean. The demos earlier this year ended just minutes after liftoff, raining wreckage into the ocean. No injuries or serious damage were reported, although airline travel was disrupted. The Federal Aviation Administration last week cleared Starship for another flight, expanding the hazard area and pushing the liftoff outside peak air travel times.
— With files from The Associated Press
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