SpaceX's ambitious test flight of its Starship spacecraft concluded in disappointment despite a successful booster catch. The upgraded spacecraft experienced engine failures and lost contact just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight, preventing it from completing its planned trajectory. Although SpaceX managed to capture the returning booster with its giant mechanical arms, the spacecraft's demise marked a setback for the company's ambitious lunar and Mars exploration plans.
SpaceX's latest test flight of its Starship spacecraft on Thursday turned into disappointment as the vehicle was destroyed shortly after launch. Despite a thrilling capture of the returning booster by the launch tower's mechanical arms, a minute earlier, the spacecraft experienced engine failures and lost contact just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight. SpaceX had packed the spacecraft with 10 dummy satellites for practice deployment during its near loop-around-the-world trajectory.
This was the first flight of the upgraded spacecraft. The goal was to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas, similar to previous test flights. A minute earlier, SpaceX had successfully used the launch tower's giant mechanical arms, dubbed 'chopsticks,' to catch the returning booster, a feat achieved only once before. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the arms. The company's spokesperson, Dan Huot, expressed disappointment, stating, 'It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about the ship.' He added that it would take time to analyze the data and determine the cause of the failure. 'It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle.' The last data received indicated an altitude of 90 miles (146 kilometers) and a velocity of 13,245 mph (21,317 kph) at the time of contact loss. The 400-foot (123-meter) rocket had thundered away in the late afternoon from Boca Chica Beach near the Mexican border, ensuring a daylight entry halfway around the world in the Indian Ocean. However, the spacecraft never reached that far. SpaceX had upgraded the spacecraft for this test flight, and the dummy satellites were the same size as SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites. Both were intended to be destroyed upon atmospheric reentry. Musk's ultimate goal is to launch actual Starlinks on Starships before progressing to other satellites and eventually, crewed missions. This marked the seventh test flight for the world's biggest and most powerful rocket. NASA has reserved a pair of Starships for landing astronauts on the moon later this decade. Hours earlier in Florida, another billionaire's rocket company, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, launched its newest supersized rocket, New Glenn. The rocket successfully reached orbit on its first flight, placing an experimental satellite thousands of miles above Earth. However, the first-stage booster missed its targeted landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic, resulting in its destruction.
Spacex Starship Booster Test Flight Rocket Launch Space Exploration Satellite Deployment
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