According to US-based media reports, SpaceX’s ninth test flight of its massive Starship rocket failed on Wednesday when the vehicle lost control and exploded around 30 minutes into its uncrewed mission.
The rocket was launched from SpaceX’s test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and was created by billionaire Elon Musk’s commercial space endeavor.
According to a Reuters story, before reentering the atmosphere of the Earth, the SpaceX’s rocket experienced an uncontrollable spin and exploded prematurely due to a fuel leak that occurred while it was in orbit.
SpaceX said the vehicle had a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” in a social media statement. This term is used by the corporation employs to describe unexpected break-ups or explosions that happen during flight.
Space X gave out a statement:
“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn. Today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as we seek to make life multiplanetary.”
The 123-meter-tall rocket had surpassed the altitude attained in earlier tests before losing control, which represented some advancement in the company’s long-term goals to turn Starship into a reusable spacecraft that could carry people and goods to the Moon and Mars.
This was the Starship’s ninth fused flight on top of its Super Heavy rocket. Four out of the eight launches that came before it, had been destroyed. On March 6, the rocket blew up just after liftoff.
Musk’s goal of eventually colonizing Mars includes SpaceX’s high-risk, high-reward testing approach, which company refers to as “fail fast, learn fast.” Concerns over public safety and the environment have been raised by the many test failures, though, especially in light of the numerous reports of debris in the southern United States and areas of the Caribbean.
Following indications that debris from the botched launch was falling in the vicinity, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday that it had temporarily banned departures and rerouted commercial flights at four major Florida airports, including Miami International Airport.
The airspace closure zone was doubled by the FAA to 1,600 nautical miles (2,963 km) east of the launch site in Texas for the most recent flight. In addition, a number of international aviation authorities, like those in the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the British-controlled Turks as well as Caicos Islands got together with the organization.
The FAA recently authorized an increase in SpaceX’s yearly launch allowance from five to twenty-five, despite the risks, stating that the increased frequency would not be a major environmental hazard. Conservation organizations objected, but the decision was made.
Concerns over possible conflicts of interest have also been highlighted by SpaceX’s increasing involvement with the US federal agency. In an official ethics complaint submitted in March, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) called for an examination of whether the FAA’s interactions with Musk’s Starlink communications company were in violation of conflict-of-interest laws.
Eliminating “hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse” in federal programs is Elon Musk’s primary emphasis, despite his growing political influence in the US, especially his backing for former President Donald Trump.
As part of NASA’s Artemis program, SpaceX is also collaborating closely with the US space agency on upcoming crewed lunar missions. If it is successful, Starship will be able to transport more payload into orbit than any rocket in history, making it the most potent launch vehicle ever created.
