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Elon Musk’s SpaceX company attempted a second test flight of its Starship rocket only to have it explode less than ten minutes into the launch.
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The mission was not accomplished in this case.
SpaceX—Elon Musk’s space technology company—launched a test flight of its Starship megarocket on March 6, but the mission was cut short when controllers lost contact with the vehicle, per NBC News.
About minutes into the launch, according to the outlet, multiple engines appeared to cut out as the vehicle was accelerating into space. The rocket was seen spinning before SpaceX lost contact with it.
"Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines," SpaceX said in a statement. "This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship."
The statement confirmed that the last contact it had with the rocket was around the nine minute and 30 second mark.
The failed test flight comes shortly after an attempt in January, which similarly saw the Starship rocket explode midflight—also around the eight-minute mark.
SpaceX said in its statement that any debris from the explosion would have fallen within the Debris Response Area, and that the debris is not toxic and not expected to have significant impact on marine life or water quality.
SpaceX communications manager Dan Hout said during the launch’s livestream, “We’ve got a lot of measures in place,
like debris response areas, where we coordinate very closely with air traffic control. We have a lot of measures put before we ever launch a rocket to make sure that we’re keeping the public safe. Those worked last time and they’re actively in work right now."
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
SpaceX said in its statement that any debris from the explosion would have fallen within the Debris Response Area, and that the debris is not toxic and not expected to have significant impact on marine life or water quality.
SpaceX communications manager Dan Hout said during the launch’s livestream, “We’ve got a lot of measures in place, like debris response areas, where we coordinate very closely with air traffic control. We have a lot of measures put before we ever launch a rocket to make sure that we’re keeping the public safe. Those worked last time and they’re actively in work right now."
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Following the explosion, social media users shared footage of what appeared to be debris from the aircraft, including a video of smoke above Boynton Beach, Florida, as well as footage of fiery debris streaking across the sky in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos.
SpaceX also confirmed, as an FAA requirement, “We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests.”
"With a test like this," the organization added, "success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability."
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