In a spectacular test flight, SpaceX’s new Starship exploded during take-off.
The rocket ship, which stood taller than the Statue of Liberty at 120m high, blasted off in a ball of flame and billowing clouds of exhaust and water vapor.
The main objective of the launch was to get the spacecraft off the ground, which it did, but unfortunately, it did not make it beyond an altitude of 32km. After less than four minutes of flight, the Starship failed to separate as designed from the Super Heavy, and the combined vehicle began tumbling end over end before exploding.
Despite the explosion, SpaceX officials are hailing the launch as a success. It achieved the primary objective of getting the Starship and booster rocket off the launch pad for the first time. The test flight also provided a wealth of important data that will pave the way for the company to move ahead with additional tests.
The launch was a major milestone in SpaceX’s ambition of sending astronauts back to the moon and ultimately on to Mars, as a major partner in NASA’s newly inaugurated human spaceflight program, Artemis.
SpaceX founder, chief executive, and chief engineer Elon Musk, said on Twitter that the next Starship test launch would be “in a few months.” He also congratulated the SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of the Starship, saying that they had learned a lot for the next test launch.
