A test of the SpaceX spacecraft Starship partially failed on Friday. The spacecraft was launched, but after more than eight minutes, Elon Musk’s company largely lost contact with the spacecraft. The Starship reportedly fell apart and then caused air traffic disruptions due to falling debris.
According to SpaceX, the spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one, leading to the dismantling of the Starship. The company spoke of a “rapid unplanned disassembly”. In addition, the intention was to launch test satellites, but that also failed. The spacecraft would loop around the world from Texas over the Gulf of Mexico.
Some flights were temporarily grounded at Miami International Airport due to the launch failure. Dozens of commercial flights flying over the Gulf of Mexico also had to change course to avoid possible debris.
Mars
The Super Heavy booster, the rocket component that performed the first part of the flight, did complete its task and returned to the Texas launch pad seven minutes after liftoff, where it was captured by giant mechanical arms. SpaceX emphasizes that the test helped improve the reliability of the Starship.
This was the seventh test flight of the rocket. NASA has reserved a number of Starships to take astronauts to the moon later this decade. Musk’s ultimate goal is to send his rockets to Mars.