Another Test Launch of the Starship Spacecraft Ended in Failure
The Starship spacecraft of the American company SpaceX of Elon Musk exploded about 10 minutes after the start of its eighth test flight.
SpaceX launched Starship from its Starbase launch pad in South Texas on Thursday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET. The initial phases of the flight went as planned, including stage separation and the return to Earth of the Super Heavy booster, which was snatched by the Mechazilla system for the third time in four missions beginning in October 2024.
But eight minutes after liftoff, four of the six Raptor engines in Starship’s upper stage suddenly failed. The rocket, losing control of its orientation, began tumbling while still broadcasting video. About a minute later, SpaceX lost contact with the ship, which exploded shortly afterward.
According to a statement SpaceX posted on its website hours after the flight, an explosion occurred in the upper stage before the end of the ascent, resulting in the loss of several Raptor engines.
Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket in history. The total estimated payload capacity of the system, consisting of the 70-meter first stage Super Heavy and the 50-meter spacecraft Starship with additional engines, is 150 tons. NASA hopes to use this project to resume manned flights to the Moon and near-Earth orbit.
