Latest news with #STARSHIP
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.
News18
28-05-2025
- Science
- News18
SpaceX Starship Spirals Out Of Control, Launched On 9th Test Flight After Explosions
Last Updated: SpaceX's Starship completed its ninth test flight, reaching space but losing control before disintegrating over the Indian Ocean. Space X's Starship rocket roared into space from Texas on Tuesday on its ninth uncrewed test launch, flying farther than the last two attempts that ended in explosive failure. The two-stage spacecraft, consisting of the Starship vessel, mounted atop a towering SpaceX Super Heavy rocket booster, blasted off at about 7.36 pm EDT (2336 GMT) from the company's Starbase launch site on the Gulf Coast of Texas near Brownsville. Plans called for Starship to complete its experimental flight of less than 90 minutes with a controlled descent and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. However, about a half-hour after launch, SpaceX 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. 🚨🇺🇸 SPACEX: STARSHIP SPINNING ON REENTRY TO INDIAN OCEANStarship's Raptor engines ignited mid-flight during hot-staging separation, a risky but efficient move. After losing attitude control, mission control expects Starship to still re-enter and fall in the Indian Ocean.… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 28, 2025 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. It later disintegrated above the massive ocean. Other videos showed SpaceX's liftoff, wherein the rocketship could be seen rising from the launch tower into the early evening sky as the Super Heavy's cluster of powerful Raptor engines thundered to life in a ball of flame and billowing clouds of exhaust and water vapour. As expected, the 232-foot (71-m) first-stage rocket separated from the upper-stage Starship vehicle several minutes after launch and headed back toward Earth. But SpaceX controllers lost contact with the booster during its descent before it presumably plunged into the sea instead of making the controlled splashdown the company planned. The upper-stage Starship vehicle continued to climb to space, reaching its planned suborbital trajectory about nine minutes into the flight. In one test-flight mishap, Starship's payload doors failed to open in order to release a group of simulated satellites. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 28, 2025, 07:26 IST
India Today
04-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
Big explosion rocks Elon Musk's Starship testing, launch postponed
While no injuries have been reported, the blast caused significant damage to the Starship prototype, forcing SpaceX to halt all preparations for the upcoming flight. SpaceX postpones Starship's ninth flight after explosion Explosion during static fire test caused significant damage No injuries reported, but preparations halted indefinitely SpaceX has postponed the much-anticipated ninth flight of its Starship rocket after a dramatic explosion rocked the company's Starbase facility in Texas during a static fire test. The setback marks the latest in a series of high-profile incidents for Elon Musk's ambitious Mars-bound launch system. WATCH STARSHIP EXPLOSION DURING TEST HERE: The explosion occurred during a routine static fire test, a critical step before any launch, where engines are ignited while the rocket remains anchored to the ground. While no injuries have been reported, the blast caused significant damage to the Starship prototype, forcing SpaceX to halt all preparations for the upcoming flight. SpaceX confirmed it is no longer targeting the third week of May for the Starship Flight 9 launch, with the timeline for future attempts now uncertain. This latest incident follows a string of explosive setbacks for Starship, including recent failures where the spacecraft lost control and broke apart minutes after liftoff, scattering debris over the Caribbean and prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to open investigations and temporarily close the US airspace. Each mishap has triggered thorough reviews and upgrades, but the repeated failures have raised questions about the programme's pace and safety protocols. Despite these challenges, SpaceX remains committed to its vision of making Starship the world's first fully reusable rocket, capable of carrying humans to the Moon and Mars. However, with the latest explosion, the path to that future faces renewed scrutiny and an indefinite delay as engineers work to identify and resolve the cause of the catastrophic failure. SpaceX has postponed the much-anticipated ninth flight of its Starship rocket after a dramatic explosion rocked the company's Starbase facility in Texas during a static fire test. The setback marks the latest in a series of high-profile incidents for Elon Musk's ambitious Mars-bound launch system. WATCH STARSHIP EXPLOSION DURING TEST HERE: The explosion occurred during a routine static fire test, a critical step before any launch, where engines are ignited while the rocket remains anchored to the ground. While no injuries have been reported, the blast caused significant damage to the Starship prototype, forcing SpaceX to halt all preparations for the upcoming flight. SpaceX confirmed it is no longer targeting the third week of May for the Starship Flight 9 launch, with the timeline for future attempts now uncertain. This latest incident follows a string of explosive setbacks for Starship, including recent failures where the spacecraft lost control and broke apart minutes after liftoff, scattering debris over the Caribbean and prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to open investigations and temporarily close the US airspace. Each mishap has triggered thorough reviews and upgrades, but the repeated failures have raised questions about the programme's pace and safety protocols. Despite these challenges, SpaceX remains committed to its vision of making Starship the world's first fully reusable rocket, capable of carrying humans to the Moon and Mars. However, with the latest explosion, the path to that future faces renewed scrutiny and an indefinite delay as engineers work to identify and resolve the cause of the catastrophic failure. Join our WhatsApp Channel
