Another SpaceX rocket detonated during a test with a prototype. The missile, intended for missions to Mars, exploded on landing. “We had a great flight,” said a live footage commentator. “We just have to work on that landing.”
The rocket exploded in Boca Chica, Texas, minutes after launch. It is not the first time that things go wrong. Last year, a Starship missile also ended up in a fireball after a failed landing. Even then it was a test launch.
Yesterday’s missile launch had been approved by the US aviation authority FAA. It had recently launched an investigation into the previous launch, because SpaceX would not have adhered to the conditions.
The rocket, as high as a sixteen-story flat, is designed to transport people and cargo to Mars and the moon.
The launch went smoothly yesterday and the rocket reached a height of 10 kilometers. Things went wrong when the rocket failed to flip over and crash on its return to the launch site. The missile then detonated:
Stacked progression image of today’s launch and hard landing of #Starship SN9 at #SpaceX’s South Texas launch site!
— John Kraus 📷🚀 (@johnkrausphotos) February 2, 2021
One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.
Full gallery + prints: https://t.co/1DmVCj3QlW pic.twitter.com/RoorKvzg6A
Spaceflight is hard. So are landings. Great test flight, @SpaceX ! https://t.co/fKlSTFgFl1
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) February 2, 2021
SpaceX is a project of billionaire Elon Musk, who is also the boss of Tesla. Musk has not yet commented on the failed landing. When the previous launch failed, Musk was unafraid, writing on Twitter, “Mars, we’re coming.”