Latest news with #SPACEX
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The critical errors that doomed Elon Musk's Starship rocket
Credit: SPACEX Elon Musk's Starship rocket had been cruising for almost half an hour when it became clear something was wrong. After blasting off from Starbase, SpaceX's sprawling complex on the Texas coast, Musk's rocket had successfully reached orbit and was falling back towards Earth. But as Starship descended, it began to spiral. Telemetry data and video feeds showed the ship rapidly losing control before tumbling through the upper atmosphere. 'We are in a little bit of a spin,' said Dan Huot, the SpaceX official hosting the company's livestream. The final images from the video feed showed ethereal plasma flashing around the vessel, melting its panels as temperatures hit 14,000 degrees Celsius. Signal was soon lost as the rocket suffered a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly', exploding over a vast area of the Indian Ocean. The rocket's demise will now be closely examined by SpaceX engineers as they prepare to launch a separate 400ft megarocket in just a few weeks. Tuesday's launch marked the ninth test flight of Starship, building towards SpaceX's goal of producing a reusable spaceship that could one day fulfil Musk's dream of colonising Mars. The latest flight included several firsts for SpaceX that inch Musk towards that goal. Importantly, the company was able to reuse the 232ft booster stage – known as Super Heavy – from an earlier flight in which it landed successfully. SpaceX's Starship also flew further than in its two most recent tests. However, the post-mortem will seek to understand and rectify two key problems that threaten its multi-planetary ambitions. The first issue emerged as SpaceX attempted to deploy eight dummy satellites into space about 18 minutes into its mission, 120 miles above the Earth. Musk wants to use Starship to ferry thousands of his Starlink satellites into space, as well as other crucial material for future missions to the Moon and Mars. However, the hatch that was meant to release the satellites appeared to fail. Twelve minutes later, Hout said SpaceX had lost crucial control of the ship after a fuel leak. 'We are in a bit of a spin,' he said. 'We did spring a leak in some of the fuel tank systems inside Starship. A lot of those are used for your altitude control.' Minutes later, the ship burst into flames and exploded over the Indian Ocean. Nonetheless, Musk was quick to insist the mission was a 'big improvement' compared to previous attempts, as he said there was 'lots of good data to review'. 'With a test like this, success comes from what we learn,' SpaceX said after the mission. 'Today's test will help us improve Starship's reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary.' Still, it is the third test flight out of three so far this year that has ended with the loss of a rocket, with each launch costing the company $100m. Shortly after the mission, Musk also pulled out of a scheduled livestream where he had planned to give an update on the company's plans to colonise Mars, perhaps in a sign there is still work to be done. It comes amid mounting pressure on the company. Nasa plans to use Musk's rockets for its Artemis III mission to the Moon in 2027, intended to return mankind to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. Musk has also set SpaceX a typically ambitious target of human landings on Mars by 2029. For the most part, SpaceX analysts have argued that the company's approach of 'rapid iterative design' is helping the company move faster towards these targets. Its previous rockets, including its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 designs, were built using such a process of constant trial and error. However, Chris Combs, an aerospace expert at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said on X after the mission: The company will now hope to avoid a lengthy investigation into the failure, although the SpaceX team remains optimistic. As last night's livestream came to a close, Huot said: 'We're trying to do something that's impossibly hard. 'We said there's going to be bumps. There's going to be turns. But seeing that ship in space today was a hell of a moment for us.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
NDTV
28-05-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Watch: Space X Starship Crashes In Indian Ocean, Putting Elon Musk's 'Mars Dream' On Hold
Washington: Starship, the futuristic SpaceX prototype rocket on which billionaire Elon Musk's ambitions for multiplanetary travel are riding, flew farther than the last two attempts but ultimately exploded over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, capping another bumpy test flight. The two-stage spacecraft-- the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built-- lifted off around 6:36 pm (local time) from SpaceX's Starbase launch site on the Gulf Coast of Texas near Brownsville. A live SpaceX webcast of the liftoff showed the rocket rising from the launch tower, billowing clouds of exhaust and water vapour. However, signs of trouble started emerging soon, with the first-stage Super Heavy booster blowing up instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The upper-stage Starship vehicle, however, continued to climb to space, reaching its planned suborbital trajectory about nine minutes into the flight. But then the live feed showed Starship's payload doors failed to open in order to release a group of simulated satellites. 🚨🇺🇸 SUPER HEAVY'S HARD SPLASHDOWN—SPACEX PUSHES LIMITS AND LOSES BOOSTER (AS PLANNED) Super Heavy did its job and hit the ocean as expected, with SpaceX confirming the booster's 'demise' after a loss of contact just before touchdown. Only 13 engines reignited—two with… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 27, 2025 SpaceX then said its flight team had lost attitude control over Starship, leaving the vehicle in a spin as it continued to head for atmospheric re-entry. Mission teams vented fuel to reduce the force of the expected explosion, and onboard cameras cut out roughly 45 minutes into what was meant to be a 66-minute flight -- falling short of its target splashdown zone off Australia's west coast. 🚨STARSHIP LIGHTS UP THE SKY OVER INDIAN OCEAN SpaceX says Starship went out with a bang—literally. After venting its last propellant and putting on a show in the sky, Starship broke up over the Indian Ocean at nearly 20 times the speed of sound, enduring over 2,500°F before… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 28, 2025 "Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly," SpaceX posted on X -- a familiar euphemism for fiery failure -- while stressing it would learn from the setback. The ship--central to billionaire Elon Musk's dream of colonising Mars-- however, flew farther than on its two previous attempts in a small win for the SpaceX team. Musk, meanwhile, vowed to pick up the pace. "Launch cadence for the next 3 flights will be faster - approximately one every 3 to 4 weeks," he said. He did not say, however, whether he still planned to deliver a live stream about Mars that SpaceX had been promoting. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, the black-and-white behemoth is designed to eventually be fully reusable and launch at low cost, carrying Musk's hopes of making humanity a multi-planetary species. Starship has now completed nine integrated test flights atop its Super Heavy booster. Elon Musk's company is betting that its "fail fast, learn fast" ethos, which helped it dominate commercial spaceflight, will once again pay off. One bright spot: the company has now caught the Super Heavy booster in the launch tower's giant robotic arms three times - a daring engineering feat it sees as key to rapid reusability and slashing costs. The FAA recently approved an increase in Starship launches from five to 25 annually, stating the expanded schedule wouldn't harm the environment -- a decision that overruled objections from conservation groups concerned about impacts to sea turtles and shorebirds. NASA is also counting on a variant of Starship to serve as the crew lander for Artemis 3, the mission to return Americans to the Moon.
India Today
22-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
Big explosion rocks SpaceX's Mcgregor base during engine test
Within seconds, the flames intensified, culminating in a powerful explosion that engulfed the structure in smoke and fire. (Photo: X/NSFSpaceflight) Eyewitnesses and livestream footage captured the moment It is believed to be a next-generation Raptor 3 unit The cause of the blast remains under investigation A big explosion shook SpaceX's McGregor testing facility in Texas on Wednesday, as engineers put the company's latest Raptor engine through its paces on the newly commissioned Raptor South test stand. The incident, which occurred during a routine static fire test, resulted in a dramatic fireball and a rapid response from emergency crews, who quickly extinguished the blaze. Eyewitnesses and livestream footage captured the moment the Raptor engine, believed to be a next-generation Raptor 3 unit, completed its firing sequence before an unexpected fire erupted beneath the test stand. WATCH SPACEX EXPLOSION DURING TESTING Within seconds, the flames intensified, culminating in a powerful explosion that engulfed the structure in smoke and fire. The cause of the blast remains under investigation, but early indications point to either a catastrophic engine failureâ€'known in the industry as a 'Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly' (RUD)â€'or a malfunction in the test stand's ground system equipment (GSE), which manages the flow of propellants and other critical systems. Methane and oxygen, the primary propellants used in Raptor engines, are highly volatile. Experts suggest that a leak or combustion anomaly may have allowed these gases to mix and ignite, triggering the explosion. Fortunately, the facility's safety protocols and firefighting systems worked as intended, bringing the fire under control within minutes. SpaceX has not issued an official statement regarding the extent of the damage or the impact on its Starship program, which relies on the Raptor engine family for upcoming launches. However, industry observers note that such incidents, while dramatic, are not uncommon during the development of cutting-edge rocket technology. The company's rapid testing philosophy often accepts occasional failures as part of the iterative process to improve engine reliability and performance. No injuries were reported. A big explosion shook SpaceX's McGregor testing facility in Texas on Wednesday, as engineers put the company's latest Raptor engine through its paces on the newly commissioned Raptor South test stand. The incident, which occurred during a routine static fire test, resulted in a dramatic fireball and a rapid response from emergency crews, who quickly extinguished the blaze. Eyewitnesses and livestream footage captured the moment the Raptor engine, believed to be a next-generation Raptor 3 unit, completed its firing sequence before an unexpected fire erupted beneath the test stand. WATCH SPACEX EXPLOSION DURING TESTING Within seconds, the flames intensified, culminating in a powerful explosion that engulfed the structure in smoke and fire. The cause of the blast remains under investigation, but early indications point to either a catastrophic engine failureâ€'known in the industry as a 'Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly' (RUD)â€'or a malfunction in the test stand's ground system equipment (GSE), which manages the flow of propellants and other critical systems. Methane and oxygen, the primary propellants used in Raptor engines, are highly volatile. Experts suggest that a leak or combustion anomaly may have allowed these gases to mix and ignite, triggering the explosion. Fortunately, the facility's safety protocols and firefighting systems worked as intended, bringing the fire under control within minutes. SpaceX has not issued an official statement regarding the extent of the damage or the impact on its Starship program, which relies on the Raptor engine family for upcoming launches. However, industry observers note that such incidents, while dramatic, are not uncommon during the development of cutting-edge rocket technology. The company's rapid testing philosophy often accepts occasional failures as part of the iterative process to improve engine reliability and performance. No injuries were reported. Join our WhatsApp Channel
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX sagt Testflug von Riesenrakete Starship ab
NUR FÜR AFP-ABONNENTEN (NO RESALE) BOCA CHICA, TEXAS, USA 3. MÄRZ 2025 QUELLE: SPACEX 1. 00:00-00:18 Bildsequenz Daniel Huot, communications manager at SpaceX, says: "All right, and we did just hear the call we are gonna offload for today. So we had a couple of holds trip as we started counting down from T-minus 40 again, and it's not something we can change with small configs, tweaks so we are gonna offload our prop and then try again another day." LIVE FEED showing SpaceX's Starship spacecraft on the launch pad at Starbase BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, USA 19. NOVEMBER 2024 QUELLE: DC POOL EINSCHRÄNKUNGEN: USA AUSGESCHLOSSEN AUSTRALIEN AUSGESCHLOSSEN NO ACCESS FROM CUBA / IRAN / SYRIA / NORTH KOREA / SUDAN / CRIMEA / DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS OF UKRAINE 2. 00:18-00:27 Halbnahe Elon Musk talking to Donald Trump and others BOCA CHICA, TEXAS, USA 16. JANUAR 2025 QUELLE: SPACEX 3. 00:27-00:42 various shots of the countdown and launch of SpaceX's Starship 4. 00:42-01:03 Totale SpaceX Starship lands back on Earth after test flight TURKS- UND CAICOSINSELN, GROSSBRITANNIEN 17. JANUAR 2025 QUELLE: GREG BLEE 5. 01:03-01:21 Verfolgungsfahrt debris of the exploded upper stage in the sky from the SpaceX launch BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, USA 19. NOVEMBER 2024 QUELLE: DC POOL EINSCHRÄNKUNGEN: USA AUSGESCHLOSSEN AUSTRALIEN AUSGESCHLOSSEN NO ACCESS FROM CUBA / IRAN / SYRIA / NORTH KOREA / SUDAN / CRIMEA / DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS OF UKRAINE 6. 01:21-01:35 Verfolgungsfahrt Elon Musk leads the way as Donald Trump and others follow
