lon Musk’s ambitious vision of sending humans to Mars hinges on the successful development of the next-generation spacecraft, Starship. Formerly known as Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), Starship recently underwent its first orbital test flight. While this achievement didn’t align precisely with Musk’s original “six months” projection from 2019, it marks a significant milestone after a series of suborbital trials, encompassing both impressive accomplishments and fiery setbacks.
The mission plan initially entailed Starship separating from its Super Heavy booster rocket around three minutes into the journey, reaching orbital velocity, and then safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
However, the inaugural attempt didn’t follow the script entirely. As the spacecraft soared, it unexpectedly entered a spiral, exhibiting an unplanned and swift disassembly before reaching the planned separation phase from the first stage.
SpaceX’s visionary founder, Elon Musk, took to Twitter to announce that the next Starship test would occur “in a few months,” hinting at the continuous drive for progress and innovation.
A statement released by SpaceX elaborated on the flight, revealing, “The vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble. The flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship.”
For a front-row view of the test flight and its unfolding events, SpaceX provides a comprehensive video feed. Witness the excitement and challenges as the spacecraft journeyed through the skies, reflecting the spirit of exploration and discovery that propels us toward new frontiers.
As SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of space travel, this test flight stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation and its unyielding pursuit of Elon Musk’s Mars mission dream. Stay tuned for the upcoming developments that will shape the future of interplanetary travel.
SpaceX’s next-generation Starship atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, in Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship is the world’s most powerful and tallest rocket at 390 ft tall.
SpaceX
The Super Heavy booster section is powered by 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines.
SpaceX
Starship is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle and the first intended to be fully reusable.
SpaceX
Starship takes off from Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX
Starship takes off on its first test flight from Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX
Spectators cheer the launch near Brownsville, Texas.
REUTERS
Spectators aboard nearby boats cheer the launch.
REUTERS
SpaceX Starship takes flight.
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The view from an onboard camera looks back down to earth as the Starship continues to launch.
SpaceX
SpaceX Starship takes flight.
SpaceX
Elon Musk sits in the command center during the launch of inaugural test flight of Starship.
SpaceX
Close-up of the Raptor engines of the super heavy booster section.
AFP via Getty Images
View of the Raptor engines of the Super Heavy booster.
SpaceX
Starship ship begins its scheduled flip stage separation.
AFP via Getty Images
Starship continues to over rotate.
REUTERS
The Starship explodes 4 minutes into its test flight. SpaceX called this a ‘Rapid unscheduled disassembly’.
AFP via Getty Images
Shocked specators take in the explosion as they view from Brownsville, Texas.
REUTERS
Musk’s Starship rocket exploded minutes after liftoff Thursday.
SpaceX
Elon Musk reacts after the Starship explodes. In a tweet shorlty after he said “Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”
SpaceX
Source from : https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/16/23685902/spacex-starship-test-flight-launch-news-updates
