SpaceX Starship rocket launches in historic test but explodes mid-flight
SpaceX, the private space company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has achieved a major milestone in its quest to develop a reusable rocket system. On Wednesday, December 8, 2021, SpaceX launched its Starship SN8 prototype from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and successfully performed a high-altitude flight test that lasted about six minutes.
The Starship SN8 is a massive stainless steel rocket that stands 50 meters tall and weighs 120 tons. It is designed to eventually carry humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond. The rocket is powered by three Raptor engines that can produce more than 600 tons of thrust.
The flight test was intended to demonstrate the Starship's ability to ascend to an altitude of 12.5 kilometers, perform a belly flop maneuver to reorient itself for landing, and reignite its engines to perform a controlled vertical landing. The test was also meant to gather data on the rocket's aerodynamics, propulsion and control systems.
The launch was initially scheduled for Tuesday, December 7, but was aborted at the last second due to an engine issue. SpaceX fixed the problem and attempted another launch on Wednesday, which was delayed several times due to weather and technical issues.
Finally, at 4:45 p.m. CST, the Starship SN8 lifted off from its launch pad and soared into the sky. The rocket climbed steadily and reached its target altitude of 12.5 kilometers after about four minutes. Then, it shut off its engines and began to fall back to Earth in a horizontal position, using its four flaps to control its descent.
At about one kilometer above the ground, the Starship SN8 reignited two of its engines and flipped itself upright for landing. However, as it approached the landing pad, it became apparent that the rocket was descending too fast and at an angle. A few seconds before touchdown, the Starship SN8 exploded in a huge fireball that engulfed the landing site.
Musk later tweeted that the rocket had a low pressure in the fuel header tank during the landing burn, which caused it to land hard. He also said that the test was a success and that SpaceX got all the data they needed. He congratulated the team and thanked them for their hard work.
Despite the explosion, the Starship SN8 flight test was a historic achievement for SpaceX and a major step forward in developing a fully reusable rocket system that could revolutionize space exploration. SpaceX plans to continue testing and improving its Starship design until it can perform safe and reliable flights to orbit and beyond.