The lift off of mammoth Starship rocket on a test flight Thursday to release mock satellites into space comes nearly two months after a launch attempt ended in explosion, sending flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos.
The launch of the eighth test flight on Thursday saw a successful lift off and stage separation, with SpaceX successfully catching the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms. However, SpaceX lost attitude control of the Starship.
Starship launch
The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket lifted off from Texas just before sunset. As SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the launch pad using giant mechanical arms, the spacecraft continued its eastward trajectory toward a controlled re-entry over the Indian Ocean, thousands of miles away, before the crew on ground lost contact with it.
The flight, which was expected to last about an hour, aimed to complete the satellite delivery test that was left unfinished during January’s failed demo.
NASA closely monitored the mission, as the space agency has already booked Starship to land astronauts on the Moon later this decade.
As in previous tests, Starship carried four mock satellites for ejection once it reached space on this eighth test flight, simulating future missions. These mock satellites, similar to SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites that orbit Earth, were designed to re-enter and fall back to Earth after their brief venture into space.
In preparation for future missions, Starship underwent redesigns to its flaps, computers, and fuel systems, with the ultimate goal of returning the spacecraft to the launch site—just like the booster.
During the previous demo, SpaceX successfully captured the booster on the pad, but the spacecraft exploded minutes later over the Atlantic. No injuries or significant damage took place.
An ongoing investigation revealed that leaking fuel caused fires, which shut down the spacecraft’s engines. The spacecraft’s self-destruct system engaged as planned.
Following the accident, SpaceX made several upgrades to the spacecraft, and the Federal Aviation Administration has since cleared Starship for another launch.
(with AFP inputs)
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