Watch the moment SpaceX Starship crushed a major milestone in latest test
Many reports following SpaceX’s ninth flight test for Starshipon Tuesday emphasized disaster: The 关键字1company’s massive rocket and uncrewed spacecraft exploded — again.
But each demonstration has had specific objectives, and though Starship didn’t come close to acing them allthis time, one in particular was a breakthrough toward making the rocket and ship reusable. That's a crucial goal for SpaceX, which hopes to use the ship to send people to the moonand Marsin a financially sustainable way.
The launch, which lifted off from SpaceX’s private spaceport in south Texas on May 27, saw the first re-flown booster in action. The test was broadcast on SpaceX founder Elon Musk's social platform, X. During the livestream, cheers erupted at Starbasewhen the spacecraft’s engines ignited and the Super Heavy booster — also used in a January test— separated from it and fell back toward Earth.
You May Also Like
"Six healthy Raptors running on Ship, on its way to space," a commentator said excitedly, referring to its powerful engines. "Peek that engine view."
That crucial moment can be watched in a video clip presented further down in this story.
SEE ALSO: NASA astronauts are proud bedwetters. They even practice.
During a livestream of the test, spectators got a closeup look at Starship's Raptor engines in space. Credit: SpaceX / X screenshot The thrill of the achievement didn't last long, perhaps eclipsed by yet another failure. The booster detached from Starship in a method called hot-staging, which means the top part of the rocket starts its engines while still connected to the booster.
That was all part of the plan — a strategy intended to make for a smoother transition — as was the booster flipping itself around after the split. But as the booster neared its landing spot, something went wrong. It broke apart in the air over the Gulf of Mexico, ensuring it definitely won't be reused again.
Starship is a 400-foot-tall beast. The test flight was the rocket system's third this year. The previous two ended in explosionsas well, though Tuesday's flight lasted much longer, flying for 46 minutes before flight controllers lost contact with it. The ship wreckage rained over the Indian Ocean.
In a company statementfollowing the test, SpaceX said it couldn't deploy mock satellites in space as expected because Starship's door to release them jammed. The ship also struggled to control its position in orbit, which meant it couldn't restart an engine or prepare for reentry into the atmosphere.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The above X post features a video of the key moment a reused Starship booster nails its separation and flip in the ninth flight test.
Related Stories
- SpaceX says refueling its Starship in space won't be scary
- Astronauts watch SpaceX's Starship explode in space during flight test
- The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
- Private spacecraft circling moon snaps photo with strange optical illusion
- SpaceX gives unprecedented access to this tech artist
SpaceX has faced criticism for its previous Starship test failures. Its executives insist that building fast, destroying expensive hardware, and learning quickly from mistakes are all part of the company's philosophy — in stark contrast with NASA's much slower approach.
NASA will depend on the rocket company to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface on a modified Starship for the Artemis III and IVmoon missions under a $4.2 billion contract. To do that, SpaceX first has to master refueling its shipin space. For Musk, Starship is also a passion project to eventually send people to settle a city on Mars.
The company says it's planning to make more improvements to the prototype before the next flight test.
"Developmental testing by definition is unpredictable," SpaceX said in a statement, "but every lesson learned marks progress toward Starship’s goal of enabling life to become multiplanetary."
- ·《爱情贼船之背后的小三》(柳絮演唱)的文本歌词及LRC歌词
- ·第745章 维那部落不能提的禁忌
- ·第800章 顾家永远有时大人遮风避雨之瓦
- ·第762章 公主召他来是为了一只狗
- ·如鸢2024最新兑换码汇总 兑换码使用方法介绍
- ·第832章 妾身不会主动离开这个家
- ·第826章 啊呀大哥在捉奸
- ·第760章 因为她是主心骨
- ·环球马术冠军赛团体赛伦敦站：上海小天鹅队零罚分完赛
- ·第820章 护国公府是个空壳子
- ·第745章 维那部落不能提的禁忌
- ·第815章 时家好运道
- ·The OLED Burn
- ·第814章 他想做邱红颜眼里的大英雄
- ·第760章 因为她是主心骨
- ·第796章 有人说蠢爹人品俊秀