Latest news with #SuperHeavyBooster
Hindustan Times
28-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
SpaceX's Starship megarocket blows up over Indian Ocean in latest test failure
Elon Musk's SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship on Tuesday on a third test flight after the earlier two ended in failure. However, just minutes into the flight, the third test also met with the same fate. The rocket was launched on its ninth demo from SpaceX's launch site in Texas, Starbase, on Tuesday evening. People across the state even came out to witness the spectacle. However, just minutes later, the 403-foot-long rocket lost control and portion of it exploded. CEO Elon Musk's SpaceX hoped to release a series of mock satellites following liftoff, but that got nixed because the door failed to open all the way. Then the spacecraft began spinning as it skimmed space toward an uncontrolled landing in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced 'a rapid unscheduled disassembly", or burst apart. 'Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,' the company said in an online statement. The launch system for Tuesday's test flight included the upper portion of the Starship and its Super Heavy Booster. After the test flight failure, SpaceX said, 'First reflight of a Super Heavy booster! Today's test objectives were designed to intentionally push Super Heavy to the limits, giving us real-world data about its performance that will directly feed in to making the next generation booster even more capable.' 'As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test. 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,' it said. According to SpaceX commentator Dan Huot, the firm lost attitude control of the rocket during the flight. What led to the attitude control was some 'leaks' on the ship, he said, reported Bloomberg. 'We have been dealing with some leaks on the ship…This is also what led to that loss of attitude control,' Huot said. With inputs from AP, Bloomberg.
eNCA
24-05-2025
- Science
- eNCA
SpaceX could try to launch massive Starship next week
DALLAS - SpaceX said it will make another launch attempt next week of the massive Starship rocket -- key to CEO Elon Musk's long-term vision of colonising Mars -- after two consecutive in-flight explosions earlier this year. "The ninth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Tuesday, May 27," the company said on its website, adding the launch window would open at 6:30 pm (2330 GMT) at its base in Texas. Two previous test flights of the world's largest and most powerful rocket ended in setbacks, with high-altitude explosions and showers of debris falling over the Caribbean. Both times, the upper stage of the rocket was lost. But the Super Heavy Booster was caught with the launch tower's mechanical "chopstick" arms -- an impressive feat of engineering. To date, Starship has completed eight integrated test flights atop the Super Heavy booster, with four successes and four failures ending in explosions. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered inquiries and grounded all SpaceX flights, but on Thursday, authorised the resumption of the company's flight activities, provided that modifications were made to the rocket. For this new flight, SpaceX will reuse one of the recovered Super Heavy boosters for the first time. However, the vehicle will not return to Starbase for a new catch. Instead, it will be used to conduct "several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data" before making a "hard splashdown" in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America upon taking office. Standing 123 metres tall, Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable. Musk's company is betting on the launch of numerous Starship prototypes in order to quickly correct problems -- a successful strategy, but one that has its critics. In 2023, several environmental groups sued the FAA, accusing them of failing to completely assess the environmental impact of these test flights.
NDTV
24-05-2025
- Science
- NDTV
After Two Setbacks, SpaceX Could Try To Launch Massive Starship Next Week
SpaceX said Friday it will make another launch attempt next week of the massive Starship rocket -- key to CEO Elon Musk's long-term vision of colonizing Mars -- after two consecutive in-flight explosions earlier this year. "The ninth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Tuesday, May 27," the company said on its website, adding the launch window would open at 6:30 pm (2330 GMT) at its base in Texas. Two previous test flights of the world's largest and most powerful rocket ended in setbacks, with high-altitude explosions and showers of debris falling over the Caribbean. Both times, the upper stage of the rocket was lost. But the Super Heavy Booster was caught with the launch tower's mechanical "chopstick" arms -- an impressive feat of engineering. To date, Starship has completed eight integrated test flights atop the Super Heavy booster, with four successes and four failures ending in explosions. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered inquiries and grounded all SpaceX flights, but on Thursday authorized the resumption of the company's flight activities, provided that modifications were made to the rocket. For this new flight, SpaceX will reuse one of the recovered Super Heavy boosters for the first time. However, the vehicle will not return to Starbase for a new catch. Instead, it will be used to conduct "several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data" before making a "hard splashdown" in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America upon taking office. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall -- about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty -- Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable. Musk's company is betting on the launch of numerous Starship prototypes in order to quickly correct problems -- a successful strategy, but one that has its critics. In 2023, several environmental groups sued the FAA, accusing them of failing to completely assess the environmental impact of these test flights. Despite the criticism, the FAA in early May authorized the increase of the number of annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 at SpaceX's Texas base.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Reusable SpaceX rocket homecoming caught on camera
On January 16, 2025, in Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX launched its Super Heavy Booster. The rocket performed a flawless separation and return, stunning onlookers. Filmed from a public area, the footage shows a major step toward reusable spaceflight.
