Ditching fish and chips could save the planet
Ditching fish and chips could help save the planet.
Boffins are calling for people to stop scoffing down the British staple dish because Atlantic cod, skate, black seabream and red gurnard are key to maintaining the seabed.
Findings from the Convex Seascape Survey - which looked into what fish do in bioturbation, which sees sediments or soils be altered of mixed by living organisms - showed that 120 of the 185 fish species that help maintain the seabed's good health were being taken out of the water.
Mara Fischer, study lead and a University of Exeter PhD student, said: "Ocean sediments are the world's largest reservoir of organic carbon – so what happens on the seabed matters for our climate.
'Bioturbation is very important for how the seabed takes up and stores organic carbon, so the process is vital to our understanding of how the ocean absorbs greenhouse gases to slow the rate of climate change.
"Bioturbation is also important for seabed and wider ocean ecosystems. We have a good understanding of how invertebrates contribute to global bioturbation – but until now, we have been missing half the story.
"Our study is the first to attempt to quantify the bioturbation impact of fish, and it shows they play a significant, widespread role.'
Professor Callum Roberts, co-author and from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, said: 'We also found that species with the highest bioturbation impacts are among the most vulnerable to threats such as commercial fishing.
"Many of the largest and most powerful diggers and disturbers of seabed sediments, like giant skates, halibut and cod, have been so overfished they have all but vanished from our seas.
"These losses translate into big, but still uncertain, changes in the way seabed ecosystems work.'
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
'I couldn't believe it': location of Captain Cook's HMB Endeavour finalised
It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, said, "This Final Report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel. "It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe. This Final Report marks our definitive statement on the project." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, said, "This Final Report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel. "It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe. This Final Report marks our definitive statement on the project." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, said, "This Final Report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel. "It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe. This Final Report marks our definitive statement on the project." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum It was early afternoon in September 2017 when Australian National Maritime Museum maritime archaeologist Dr James Hunter took his first dive on the shipwreck lying in 13 metres of murky water at Newport Harbour in Rhode Island. He was joined by two local divers from the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP). They were underwater for just 20 minutes. "We just went down and swam around," says Hunter. "I saw two cannons sitting on the seabed. The visibility wasn't great. We were looking at it for the first time and realised: 'Wow, there's a lot here.'" They were diving amongst a graveyard of British 18th-century transport ships scuttled by the British to blockade Newport Harbour in August 1778 during the American War of Independence. What they were looking at was the shipwreck RI 2394 - now positively identified by the Museum as HMB Endeavour (later renamed Lord Sandwich), the ship used by Lieutenant James Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Their findings are part of the Australian National Maritime Museum's final 126-page report, Locating HMB Endeavour, into the 25-year journey to positively identify the ship's resting place Authors Kieran Hosty and James Hunter state: "This report outlines the archival and archaeological evidence that confirms the identification of the shipwreck site of Lord Sandwich, formerly HMB Endeavour... and at the same time discounts any of the other investigated shipwreck sites as that of James Cook's renowned ship of exploration." READ MORE: Let's not cancel Captain Cook: what history tells us of the great navigator Ms Daryl Karp AM, director and CEO of the museum, said, "This Final Report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel. "It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe. This Final Report marks our definitive statement on the project." The positive identification was based on a 'preponderance of evidence' approach. An agreement between RIMAP and the Sydney Museum established 10 key criteria needed to positively identify the wreck. The museum is now satisfied that those criteria match Cook's ship, launched in Whitby, North Yorkshire in 1764, originally named the Earl of Pembroke. Work by the museum positively identified the precise part of the ship on which they were diving and led them to identify the stump of a pump shaft used to pump water out of the bottom of the hull. Hunter said: "RIMAP maintained that all ships scuttled prior to the Battle of Rhode Island had their bows facing north, but notes that didn't make sense because of prevailing southerly winds and swell that are characteristic of Newport Harbour in August. They would have been easier to prepare for scuttling with their bows facing south into the wind and waves. "I'd acquired high-resolution scans of the Endeavour plans from 1768. I superimposed them over my site plan with the bow facing north, but it didn't work. So, I swung the site plan around in Photoshop, and multiple hull features lined up. I couldn't believe it." Dr Kathy Abbas, however, one of two principal investigators at RIMAP, refuses to acknowledge that the ship is Endeavour. Her report, released last November, states: "Some details are consistent with the possibility that she could be HMB Endeavour, but there has been nothing found to refute or confirm the identification of this site as that iconic vessel." The impasse, Hunter says, is delaying further research. He suggests bringing one of the ship's cannons to the surface to compare it with one jettisoned by Cook when he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in June 1770 (now on display at the Museum). Endeavour originally had 10 four-pounder cannons. Six in total were abandoned to raise the ship in the water when it grounded and there are four lying inside the surviving lower hull. It is, however, possible the cannons were changed as the ship was later deployed in different roles. "RIMAP has always had the concept that you have to find an artifact with a name on it or something compelling like a ship's bell," says Hunter. RIMAP is looking for a 'gold nugget' artefact. "They have the gold nugget artefact. It's the hull. But they're still not over the line. They're still not saying: 'Yeah, you guys have got it right.'" Marine archaeologist Nigel Erskine, former museum archaeologist who first dived on the wrecks in Rhode Island in 2004, is convinced the identification is correct. He said of Dr Abbas: "She wants something, a bit like Shackleton's vessel [Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was found in 2022] with great preservation and the name still intact across the stern, you couldn't miss it. But that's not the case with this vessel, or any of the others there in Rhode Island." Report co-author Kieran Hosty said preservation of the site remained a priority. "The development of a conservation management plan in association with the state authorities regarding management of the site would be a good move." He said he had great respect for Dr Abbas as a historian. "Dr Abbas has done some amazing work in Newport on the shipwrecks there," he said. "But I think she's incorrect in her premise that it's not the Endeavour." Daryl Karp added: "We want to acknowledge the work of the museum's archaeological team over the past 25 years, the work of Dr Kathy Abass in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island authorities, and the many subject specialists who have provided expert information and guidance over the years." The writer is a contractor for the Australian Maritime Museum
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- Perth Now
Beethoven's ‘intimidating' face revealed for the first time in 200 years
Ludwig van Beethoven's face has been revealed in stunning detail almost 200 years after his death. The legendary German composer, famed for masterpieces like the 'Fifth Symphony' and 'Moonlight Sonata', has had his face brought back to life in jaw-dropping detail and the results are striking. Thanks to cutting-edge 3D and a historic skull scan, Beethoven's moody mug has been recreated and it's as fiery as his reputation suggests. Cicero Moraes, the Brazilian graphics expert behind the project, said: "I found the face somewhat intimidating." He used rare photographs of Beethoven's skull taken in 1863 and measurement data from 1888, both provided by the Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany. Despite his musical genius, Beethoven wasn't exactly known for his charm. British composer Mark Wigglesworth once summed him up as: "Irritable, untidy, clumsy, rude, and misanthropic." Moraes said: "The facial approximation was guided solely by the skull. First I created 2D outlines – frontal and lateral – from the skull photographs. Then I modelled the skull in 3D using a virtual donor's tomography, adjusted to match the photos' proportions. I then added soft tissue thickness markers based on data from living Europeans, projected the nose, and traced the facial profile. I interpolated all these projections to form the basic face." He later added clothes and hair based on a famous 1820 portrait, before using AI to polish the final image. The result was "highly compatible" with a life mask made of Beethoven's face during his lifetime. Moraes explained: "I analysed his revolutionary creativity, resilience in composing despite deafness, intense focus, problem-solving ability, and tireless productivity, despite a challenging personality. Reading about his life in detail was moving, as I noticed behavioural similarities in myself. I was fortunate to have psychological support that helped me manage my own irritability. Beethoven, however, faced a chaotic world with his own resources, finding refuge in his work, which seemed to bring him existential fulfilment."
The Advertiser
28-05-2025
- The Advertiser
SpaceX Starship rocket breaks up in latest setback
SpaceX's Starship rocket has spun out of control about halfway through its flight without achieving some of its most important testing goals, bringing fresh engineering hurdles to CEO Elon Musk's increasingly turbulent Mars rocket program. The 122-metre Starship rocket system, the core of Musk's goal of sending humans to Mars, lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site, flying beyond the point of two previous explosive attempts earlier this year that sent debris streaking over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to divert course. For the latest launch, the ninth full test mission of Starship since the first attempt in April 2023, the upper-stage cruise vessel was lofted to space atop a previously flown booster - a first such demonstration of the booster's reusability. But SpaceX lost contact with the lower-stage booster during its descent before it plunged into the sea, rather than making the controlled splashdown the company had planned. Starship, meanwhile, continued into suborbital space but began to spin uncontrollably roughly 30 minutes into the mission. The errant spiralling came after SpaceX cancelled a plan to deploy eight mock Starlink satellites into space. Musk was scheduled to deliver an update on his space exploration ambitions in a speech from Starbase following the test flight. Hours later, he had yet to give the speech and there was no sign that he intended to do so. In a post on X, Musk touted Starship's scheduled shutdown of an engine in space, a step previous test flights achieved last year. Musk said a leak on Starship's primary fuel tank led to its loss of control. "Lot of good data to review," he said. "Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks." SpaceX has said the Starship models that have flown this year bear significant design upgrades from previous prototypes, as thousands of company employees work to build a multi-purpose rocket capable of putting massive batches of satellites in space, carrying humans back to the moon and ultimately ferrying astronauts to Mars. In issuing approval for Tuesday's test, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it had nearly doubled the airspace closure zone to 2963km east of the launch site. The Starship test involved co-ordination with authorities in the United Kingdom, the British-controlled Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Mexico and Cuba, according to a media report. The Starship rocket system was first tested in April 2023, when it completely exploded after just a few minutes. In subsequent tests, the upper stage reached space and even landed in a controlled manner in the Indian Ocean. with EFE and DPA SpaceX's Starship rocket has spun out of control about halfway through its flight without achieving some of its most important testing goals, bringing fresh engineering hurdles to CEO Elon Musk's increasingly turbulent Mars rocket program. The 122-metre Starship rocket system, the core of Musk's goal of sending humans to Mars, lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site, flying beyond the point of two previous explosive attempts earlier this year that sent debris streaking over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to divert course. For the latest launch, the ninth full test mission of Starship since the first attempt in April 2023, the upper-stage cruise vessel was lofted to space atop a previously flown booster - a first such demonstration of the booster's reusability. But SpaceX lost contact with the lower-stage booster during its descent before it plunged into the sea, rather than making the controlled splashdown the company had planned. Starship, meanwhile, continued into suborbital space but began to spin uncontrollably roughly 30 minutes into the mission. The errant spiralling came after SpaceX cancelled a plan to deploy eight mock Starlink satellites into space. Musk was scheduled to deliver an update on his space exploration ambitions in a speech from Starbase following the test flight. Hours later, he had yet to give the speech and there was no sign that he intended to do so. In a post on X, Musk touted Starship's scheduled shutdown of an engine in space, a step previous test flights achieved last year. Musk said a leak on Starship's primary fuel tank led to its loss of control. "Lot of good data to review," he said. "Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks." SpaceX has said the Starship models that have flown this year bear significant design upgrades from previous prototypes, as thousands of company employees work to build a multi-purpose rocket capable of putting massive batches of satellites in space, carrying humans back to the moon and ultimately ferrying astronauts to Mars. In issuing approval for Tuesday's test, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it had nearly doubled the airspace closure zone to 2963km east of the launch site. The Starship test involved co-ordination with authorities in the United Kingdom, the British-controlled Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Mexico and Cuba, according to a media report. The Starship rocket system was first tested in April 2023, when it completely exploded after just a few minutes. In subsequent tests, the upper stage reached space and even landed in a controlled manner in the Indian Ocean. with EFE and DPA SpaceX's Starship rocket has spun out of control about halfway through its flight without achieving some of its most important testing goals, bringing fresh engineering hurdles to CEO Elon Musk's increasingly turbulent Mars rocket program. The 122-metre Starship rocket system, the core of Musk's goal of sending humans to Mars, lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site, flying beyond the point of two previous explosive attempts earlier this year that sent debris streaking over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to divert course. For the latest launch, the ninth full test mission of Starship since the first attempt in April 2023, the upper-stage cruise vessel was lofted to space atop a previously flown booster - a first such demonstration of the booster's reusability. But SpaceX lost contact with the lower-stage booster during its descent before it plunged into the sea, rather than making the controlled splashdown the company had planned. Starship, meanwhile, continued into suborbital space but began to spin uncontrollably roughly 30 minutes into the mission. The errant spiralling came after SpaceX cancelled a plan to deploy eight mock Starlink satellites into space. Musk was scheduled to deliver an update on his space exploration ambitions in a speech from Starbase following the test flight. Hours later, he had yet to give the speech and there was no sign that he intended to do so. In a post on X, Musk touted Starship's scheduled shutdown of an engine in space, a step previous test flights achieved last year. Musk said a leak on Starship's primary fuel tank led to its loss of control. "Lot of good data to review," he said. "Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks." SpaceX has said the Starship models that have flown this year bear significant design upgrades from previous prototypes, as thousands of company employees work to build a multi-purpose rocket capable of putting massive batches of satellites in space, carrying humans back to the moon and ultimately ferrying astronauts to Mars. In issuing approval for Tuesday's test, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it had nearly doubled the airspace closure zone to 2963km east of the launch site. The Starship test involved co-ordination with authorities in the United Kingdom, the British-controlled Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Mexico and Cuba, according to a media report. The Starship rocket system was first tested in April 2023, when it completely exploded after just a few minutes. In subsequent tests, the upper stage reached space and even landed in a controlled manner in the Indian Ocean. with EFE and DPA SpaceX's Starship rocket has spun out of control about halfway through its flight without achieving some of its most important testing goals, bringing fresh engineering hurdles to CEO Elon Musk's increasingly turbulent Mars rocket program. The 122-metre Starship rocket system, the core of Musk's goal of sending humans to Mars, lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site, flying beyond the point of two previous explosive attempts earlier this year that sent debris streaking over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to divert course. For the latest launch, the ninth full test mission of Starship since the first attempt in April 2023, the upper-stage cruise vessel was lofted to space atop a previously flown booster - a first such demonstration of the booster's reusability. But SpaceX lost contact with the lower-stage booster during its descent before it plunged into the sea, rather than making the controlled splashdown the company had planned. Starship, meanwhile, continued into suborbital space but began to spin uncontrollably roughly 30 minutes into the mission. The errant spiralling came after SpaceX cancelled a plan to deploy eight mock Starlink satellites into space. Musk was scheduled to deliver an update on his space exploration ambitions in a speech from Starbase following the test flight. Hours later, he had yet to give the speech and there was no sign that he intended to do so. In a post on X, Musk touted Starship's scheduled shutdown of an engine in space, a step previous test flights achieved last year. Musk said a leak on Starship's primary fuel tank led to its loss of control. "Lot of good data to review," he said. "Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks." SpaceX has said the Starship models that have flown this year bear significant design upgrades from previous prototypes, as thousands of company employees work to build a multi-purpose rocket capable of putting massive batches of satellites in space, carrying humans back to the moon and ultimately ferrying astronauts to Mars. In issuing approval for Tuesday's test, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it had nearly doubled the airspace closure zone to 2963km east of the launch site. The Starship test involved co-ordination with authorities in the United Kingdom, the British-controlled Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Mexico and Cuba, according to a media report. The Starship rocket system was first tested in April 2023, when it completely exploded after just a few minutes. In subsequent tests, the upper stage reached space and even landed in a controlled manner in the Indian Ocean. with EFE and DPA
