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Elon Musk's Starship explodes minutes after first test flight's liftoff, But the mission was not a total loss.
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SpaceX’s
Starship Launch
‘Learning Experience’ Ends in Blast
Launch Highlights
Earlier Flight Tests
Inside SpaceX Mission Control
2023 Space Calendar
Numerous people watch as a large rocket trailing of flame lifts off in the distance.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully took off from a launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday, but exploded roughly four minutes into its flight.Credit...Go Nakamura/Reuters
SpaceX’s Starship ‘Learning Experience’ Ends in Explosion
The first flight of the most powerful rocket ever was not the success that Elon Musk and his company hoped for, but the launch achieved several milestones toward future journeys.
Give this article
Kenneth Chang
SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded on Thursday, minutes after lifting off from a launchpad in South Texas. The rocket, the most powerful ever built, did not reach orbit but provided important lessons for the private spaceflight company as it worked toward a more successful mission.
At 9:33 a.m. Eastern time, the engines on the Super Heavy booster ignited in a huge cloud of fire, smoke and dust, and Starship rose slowly upward. About a minute later, the rocket passed through a period of maximum aerodynamic pressure, one of the crucial moments for the launch of any rocket. Shortly after, it began to tumble before exploding in a fireball high above the Gulf of Mexico.
Despite the mission’s fiery outcome, Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, offered congratulations to the company. “Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward,” Mr. Nelson wrote on Twitter.
The space agency is relying on SpaceX to build a version of Starship that will carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon during its Artemis III mission. There was great anticipation from the flight, which had been delayed from Monday as the gargantuan rocket could one day carry massive amounts of cargo and many people into space.
Before the launch, which had no people aboard and aimed to validate whether the design of the rocket system is sound, Elon Musk, the company’s founder, had tamped down expectations. He said it might take several tries before Starship succeeds at this test flight.
But the launch achieved a number of important milestones, with the rocket flying for four minutes and getting well clear of the launchpad. The brief flight produced reams of data for engineers to understand how the vehicle performed.
SKIP TO CONTENT
SpaceX’s
Starship Launch
‘Learning Experience’ Ends in Blast
Launch Highlights
Earlier Flight Tests
Inside SpaceX Mission Control
2023 Space Calendar
Numerous people watch as a large rocket trailing of flame lifts off in the distance.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully took off from a launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday, but exploded roughly four minutes into its flight.Credit...Go Nakamura/Reuters
SpaceX’s Starship ‘Learning Experience’ Ends in Explosion
The first flight of the most powerful rocket ever was not the success that Elon Musk and his company hoped for, but the launch achieved several milestones toward future journeys.
Give this article
Kenneth Chang
SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded on Thursday, minutes after lifting off from a launchpad in South Texas. The rocket, the most powerful ever built, did not reach orbit but provided important lessons for the private spaceflight company as it worked toward a more successful mission.
At 9:33 a.m. Eastern time, the engines on the Super Heavy booster ignited in a huge cloud of fire, smoke and dust, and Starship rose slowly upward. About a minute later, the rocket passed through a period of maximum aerodynamic pressure, one of the crucial moments for the launch of any rocket. Shortly after, it began to tumble before exploding in a fireball high above the Gulf of Mexico.
Despite the mission’s fiery outcome, Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, offered congratulations to the company. “Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward,” Mr. Nelson wrote on Twitter.
The space agency is relying on SpaceX to build a version of Starship that will carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon during its Artemis III mission. There was great anticipation from the flight, which had been delayed from Monday as the gargantuan rocket could one day carry massive amounts of cargo and many people into space.
Before the launch, which had no people aboard and aimed to validate whether the design of the rocket system is sound, Elon Musk, the company’s founder, had tamped down expectations. He said it might take several tries before Starship succeeds at this test flight.
But the launch achieved a number of important milestones, with the rocket flying for four minutes and getting well clear of the launchpad. The brief flight produced reams of data for engineers to understand how the vehicle performed.
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