SpaceX’s prototype Starship rocket exploded over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, ending another turbulent test flight for the launch system at the core of Elon Musk’s vision to one day colonise Mars. Reports Technology News
The massive vehicle — the largest and most powerful ever built — blasted off at 6:36 pm local time (2336 GMT) from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in southern Texas. The launch drew significant attention from both engineers and onlookers, especially following the failures of the two previous attempts, where the upper stage broke apart in dramatic fireballs over the Caribbean.
This latest test, while progressing further than the previous two, was marred by multiple issues. The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded instead of executing its planned controlled descent and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
Further trouble followed when the upper-stage Starship failed to open its payload bay doors, preventing it from deploying simulated Starlink satellites. As the flight continued, the spacecraft began leaking and spinning uncontrollably during its coasting phase through space.
In response, SpaceX’s mission control vented fuel to limit the energy of the inevitable explosion. The onboard cameras stopped transmitting approximately 45 minutes into the 66-minute mission, with the vehicle failing to reach its intended splashdown site off the west coast of Australia.
Despite falling short of its objectives, the test did mark some progress in flight duration and distance, offering SpaceX engineers new data to refine future launches.
