The first test flight of the longest rocket system ever built “Starship” ended a few minutes after the start with an unplanned breakup.
The rocket is owned by SpaceX, a company owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
SpaceX still rates it as a success.
The largest rocket system ever built “Starship” broke apart on its first test flight a few minutes after launch. This was shown by live images on Thursday. Elon Musk’s private space company SpaceX still rated the test as a success.
“As if the flight test wasn’t exciting enough, there was a rapid, unplanned breakup of the ‘Starship’ prior to stage separation,” SpaceX tweeted. “In a test like this, success depends on what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve the reliability of ‘Starship’.” .
Explosion shortly after takeoff
The “Starship” initially lifted off the ground on Thursday in Brownsville, Texas, with a lot of fire and smoke. A few minutes later – shortly before the two rocket stages separated – the live images showed how the rocket system began to tumble and finally broke up with fire. Actually, the test should have lasted about 90 minutes and ended with the landing of both stages.
“Starship” – consisting of the approximately 70-meter-long “Super Heavy” booster and the approximately 50-meter-long upper stage, also called “Starship”, is intended to enable manned missions to the moon and Mars. The first test start was actually planned for Monday, but was then postponed to Thursday due to a problem with a valve.
The “Starship” system is designed in such a way that the spaceship and rocket can be reused after returning to earth. The upper stage had already been tested on its own several times, but this was the first combined flight test of the entire missile system.
The system, which is around 120 meters long in total, should be able to transport well over 100 tons of cargo in the future. The rocket is powered by 33 “Raptor” engines that run on liquid methane and liquid oxygen. The system should be able to be refueled in space. With the SpaceX “Starship”, the US space agency Nasa wants to bring astronauts to the moon. SpaceX hopes to one day get to Mars.
DPA