The second test launch of Elon Musk’s Starship ended in failure
The launch of the SpaceX reusable transport system Starship, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, ended in failure. Broadcast of the new launch was carried out on the company website.
Contact with the ship was lost after 10 minutes of flight. The first stage of the launch vehicle separated successfully, but exploded in mid-air a few seconds later. The moment the first stage of the rocket exploded was caught on video. Then the broadcast announced that communication with the second stage was lost and the self-destruction algorithm could be launched.
This is not the first time SpaceX has failed.
Musk’s company is conducting its second test launch. Despite the failure, it still turned out to be more successful than the first attempt: this time the rocket crossed the boundary of space and spent separation of steps. Musk himself congratulated SpaceX team with the launch of the spacecraft.
The first launch took place on April 20. At 16:28 Moscow time, the American company SpaceX launched a prototype of the Starship reusable transport system from the Boca Chica site in southeast Texas in the USA. Four minutes after launch, it exploded, gaining an altitude of 38 kilometers.
An emergency situation arose in the third minute of integration flight tests, when the prototype of the spacecraft of the same name (sample Ship 24) could not separate from the prototype of the Super Heavy carrier.
Starship suffered a rapid and unscheduled dismantling before stage separation
Musk dreamed of sending humanity to Mars
The reusable Starship spacecraft could fly to Mars in three to four years, Musk believes. “I think it’s feasible to do an uncrewed test landing on the surface of Mars within the next four years,” he explained. According to the businessman, it is necessary to create an autonomously operating base on the Red Planet, which will require sending millions of tons of cargo with equipment and resources there.
However, SpaceX is also experiencing problems with its flight to the Moon. Problems with the creation of the reusable Starship transport system, which SpaceX is working on, could lead to a delay in the implementation of the Artemis 3 lunar mission, scheduled for the end of 2025. NASA expressed similar concerns.
According to the US space agency’s deputy administrator for exploration systems development, Jim Free, NASA is concerned about the number of Starship test launches that SpaceX must conduct.
Thus, each mission of the lunar version of Starship requires the launch of not only the landing module itself, but also several refueling ships. In addition, before the manned flight of the lunar version of Starship, an unmanned landing on the Earth’s natural satellite must be made and orbital refueling technology must be tested.
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