On the 27th, Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s new generation heavy-lift rocket, 'Starship,' was launched from Texas, marking its 9th test flight. The first-stage booster of the rocket exploded, and although the second-stage spacecraft entered space, it subsequently went out of control.
The live broadcast from Space Exploration Technologies Corp. showed that a few minutes after the launch, the 'Super Heavy' booster, reused for the first time, successfully separated from the spacecraft. The booster then exploded and failed to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico as planned. Although the spacecraft reached space, it also failed to deploy the simulated satellite as planned and experienced a fuel leak.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. confirmed the loss of control over the spacecraft, and it is expected that its debris will fall into the Indian Ocean.
The 'Starship' rocket has a total length of about 120 meters and a diameter of about 9 meters. It consists of two parts: the first stage is a rocket booster approximately 70 meters long, and the second stage is the 'Starship' spacecraft. Both stages are designed to be reusable. The rocket is designed to transport people and cargo to Earth's orbit, the Moon, and even Mars.
In the 7th and 8th 'Starship' test flights conducted in January and March this year, the first-stage booster successfully achieved 'chopstick rocket' recovery at the launch tower, but the second-stage spacecraft disintegrated rapidly during ascent.