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Space X’s Starship, World’s Most Powerful Rocket, Explodes On First Launch Attempt
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Starship rocket was created by Elon Musk’s space company, SpaceX.
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Musk has set a target for the innovative rocket system to take people and cargo into orbit, to the Moon and even Mars.
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An attempt to fly the 120m-high vehicle on Monday was thwarted nine minutes from lift-off by a frozen valve.
Eko Hot Blog reports that SpaceX, the space company owned by billionaire businessman, Elon Musk, launched its 500-foot-tall Starship, by far the world’s most powerful rocket, on a test flight on Thursday afternoon.
The giant rocket lifted off a few minutes after Thursday’s launch window opened at 2:28 p.m. at the company’s flight test facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
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However, a few minutes after clearing the launch pad, it failed in a midair explosion.
In a post on Twitter, SpaceX said Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation, adding that “teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.”
Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023
“With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship,” the space firm said.
“Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting first integrated flight test of Starship!”
Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting first integrated flight test of Starship!
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023
SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket self-destructs after its launch from the company’s Boca Chica launchpad on a brief uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. April 20, 2023 in a still image from video. (Photo: SpaceX/Handout via REUTERS)
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/4t8mRP37Gp
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023
SpaceX describes Starship as a fully reusable transportation system that is made to carry cargo and crew to Earth orbit.
Starship
It is designed to help humans return to the moon and go to Mars and beyond.
Musk had tried to set expectations low for the test flight, which will begin at Boca Chica, on the the US-Mexico border.
Just getting the vehicle off the ground and not destroying the launch pad infrastructure would be considered “a win”, he said.
Starship
FURTHER READING
“If we get far enough away from the launch pad before something goes wrong, then I think I would consider that to be a success. Just don’t blow up the launch pad!”
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