SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft, the upper stage of the world’s most powerful launch system, exploded during its eighth test flight on Thursday, marking the second consecutive failure for the vehicle this year. The uncrewed mission lifted off at 5:30 p.m. CT from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, with the Starship mounted atop a 232-foot-tall Super Heavy rocket booster. Approximately 2 ½ minutes into the flight, the Super Heavy booster separated as planned and successfully landed using the “chopstick” arms of SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” launch tower near Brownsville, Texas.
However, less than 10 minutes into the flight, the Starship experienced issues as several engines failed, causing the spacecraft to tumble before SpaceX lost contact. This incident mirrors a similar failure during the seventh test flight in January, when the Starship exploded over the Turks and Caicos Islands, scattering debris.
The explosion was visible from parts of Florida and the Caribbean, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily halt flights into Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando airports due to concerns about falling space debris. SpaceX reported that an “energetic event” in the aft portion of Starship led to the loss of several Raptor engines, resulting in a loss of attitude control and communication approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.
The FAA has mandated a mishap investigation to determine the root cause and implement corrective actions to ensure public safety. This incident raises questions about the decision to proceed with Flight 8 before completing the investigation into the previous mishap and the safety of experimental rockets flying over populated areas. citeturn0news17
Source: Swifteradio.com
