Xinhua
19 Nov 2023, 13:05 GMT+10
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX's giant new rocket Starship on Saturday blasted off on its second test flight, but exploded minutes after launch.
Starship successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster at about 7:04 a.m. Central Time (1304 GMT) from SpaceX's Starbase in U.S. state of Texas, and made it through a successful stage separation, said SpaceX.
However, the booster experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" after stage separation and boostback burn while Starship's engines fired for several minutes on its way to space, according to SpaceX.
It was the second integrated flight testing with the second launch of Starship.
"With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today's test will help us improve Starship's reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary," SpaceX said.
The company said it will share more information as the team reviews data from Saturday's test.
SpaceX made the first test flight of SpaceX's fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket in April this year, but the vehicle exploded after liftoff from the launch pad in SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, South Texas.
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, collectively referred to as Starship, represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Starship will be the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable, according to SpaceX.
NASA awarded SpaceX contracts worth several billions of U.S. dollars to use Starship to ferry American astronauts to the surface of the moon under the space agency's Artemis program.
NASA has announced plans to use a Starship to put astronauts on the lunar surface in 2025.
Get a daily dose of Business Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Business Sun.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - A decline in labor costs as measured by ADP failed to boost U.S. Markets Wednesday."ADP's ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks spent most of Tuesday meandering, with the major indices closing out the day ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed mixed on Monday following on from last week's volatility."Digestion is the word ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: As businesses built more warehouses and accumulated machinery equipment, the U.S. economy grew faster than initially forecast in ...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 7 (ANI): After three days of continuous positive momentum, the stock market opened on a flat ...
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 7 (ANI): The Tamil Nadu government announced a holiday for all schools and colleges in ...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft President Brad Smith said there is no chance of super-intelligent artificial intelligence (AI) being developed within the ...
California [US], December 7 (ANI): In its most ambitious effort to compete in the rapidly growing field of generative artificial ...
Abu Dhabi [UAE], December 6 (ANI/WAM): UAE Banks Federation (UBF) reaffirmed its commitment to support UAE's goals by pledging to ...
Hong Kong, December 5 (ANI): Few doubt that China is responsible for a massive campaign of computer hacking and nefarious ...
Dubai [UAE], December 5 (ANI/WAM): Keit Kasemets, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Climate of Estonia and Head of the Estonian ...
SEOUL - South Korea on Monday successfully conducted a flight of a solid-fuel rocket carrying a satellite over the sea ...