A SpaceX Starship prototype launch broke up over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, in the latest test flight failure experienced by the rocket primed by billionaire Elon Musk’s dream for colonizing Mars.
The latest rocket, which is the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built, lifted off at 6.36 pm local time from the company’s facility near a southern Texas village that earlier this month voted to become a city also named Starbase.
Shortly after takeoff, live feeds showed as the first-stage Super Heavy booster blew up instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, followed by the upper-stage spaceship failing to open its doors to deploy a payload of Starlink satellite “simulators”.
The ship soon began spinning out of control as it coasted through space on a suborbital path before re-entering the atmosphere out of control and eventually breaking apart.
“Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” SpaceX posted on X, adding it would learn from the setback.
Elon Musk, meanwhile, vowed to pick up the pace: “Launch cadence for the next three flights will be faster – approximately one every three to four weeks,” he said.
SpaceX Starship’s Torrid History
Federal regulators granted SpaceX a license for Starship’s latest flight attempt just four days ago, following a mishap investigation that had grounded Starship for nearly two months.
The rocket’s last two test flights, held in January and March, were cut short moments after liftoff as the vehicle blew to pieces on its ascent, raining debris over parts of the Caribbean and disrupting scores of commercial airline flights in the region.
The Federal Aviation Administration in preparation expanded debris hazard zones around the ascent path for Tuesday’s launch as dozens of space fans gathered at Isla Blanca Park on nearby South Padre Island, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ship’s takeoff. Several small tourist boats also dotted the lagoon, while a live feed showed Musk sitting at ground control in Starbase, wearing an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt.
