Elon Musk’s SpaceX company
Explosion shortly after launch: “Starship” rocket system fails second test flight
Watch the video: SpaceX Starship – Everything about Elon Musk’s super spaceship.
SpaceX’s “Starship” is a rocket of superlatives. All information about the record rocket in the video. SpaceX’s “Starship” is a rocket of superlatives. The spacecraft measures an impressive 119 meters, the equivalent of a 40-story skyscraper, making it the largest rocket ever built in the world. The heavy-duty rocket consists of two parts: The 69-meter-high first stage, the so-called “Super Heavy,” which is equipped with 33 drives, is intended to carry the actual “Starship” into orbit. The “Starship” is equipped with six additional engines and is 50 meters long, roughly the length of the space shuttle. The total mass of the missile with maximum payload is 5000 tons. The rocket’s Raptor engines are powered by liquid methane: a first in the history of space travel. The super spaceship should be quickly reusable and launch up to three times a day. The “Starship” could carry up to 150 tons of payload into space and bring around 50 tons of cargo to Earth. In the long term, SpaceX founder Elon Musk sees the “Starship” as the “fastest path to a self-sustaining city on Mars.” Both the “Super Heavy” and the “Starship” have already been successfully tested independently of each other. A first launch of the entire rocket is planned for the end of the third week of April. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch into orbit from Boca Chica, Texas. As for his own assessment, Musk said at a press conference in March: “I don’t promise it will reach orbit, but I guarantee excitement. […] I think it hopefully has a 50% chance of reaching orbit.”
With a total height of 120 meters, Elon Musk’s “Starship” is larger than the Statue of Liberty and the most powerful rocket system ever built in space history. A first test went differently than hoped – and now a second one too.
The largest rocket system ever built in space history was also unable to complete a second test flight as planned. The first rocket stage of the unmanned “Starship” exploded on Saturday a few minutes after takeoff from the spaceport of Elon Musk’s private space company SpaceX in the US state of Texas, as live images showed. Shortly afterwards, commentators on the SpaceX live stream announced that it was assumed that the second rocket stage had also exploded.
With a total height of 120 meters, the “Starship” is larger than the Statue of Liberty. It is the most powerful rocket system ever built. During the first test flight in April, a “Starship” exploded shortly after takeoff.
At least a few more milestones were achieved in the second test: a few minutes after launch, the two rocket stages separated, something that had not been successful in the first test. However, the lower rocket stage exploded shortly afterwards and did not land in the Gulf of Mexico as planned. The upper rocket stage continued to fly for a while. Then the live stream said that the signal had broken off and it was assumed that the upper rocket stage had also exploded. Actually, it should have continued to rise and land in the Pacific after around an hour and a half.
“Starship” rocket system: first test flight lasted just four minutes
There was initially no reaction from SpaceX and Musk. SpaceX had already announced in advance that this was only a second of many tests to be expected and that the main aim was to collect data – In keeping with the company philosophy: “If nothing goes wrong, there are still opportunities for improvement.” Musk had already classified the first attempt not as a setback, but as an “exciting test start”.
The “Starship” – consisting of the approximately 70 meter long “Super Heavy” booster and the approximately 50 meter long upper stage, also called “Starship”. – is intended to enable manned missions to the Moon and Mars. The system is designed so that the spacecraft and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth. The system, which is around 120 meters long in total, will be able to transport well over 100 tons of cargo in the future. The US space agency NASA wants to use the “Starship” to bring astronauts to the moon. SpaceX hopes to one day get to Mars.