After the SpaceX spacecraft exploded during a test flight in January, the company hoped for a better result during its attempted launch on Thursday.
But once again, the mission was interrupted after the controllers lost contact with the vehicle of the upper stadium.
The 400 -foot high -feet stars system exploded on the launch pad for the Starbase site in SpaceX near Brownsville, Texas, at 6.30 p.m. for its eighth test flight.
But a little more than 8 minutes later – about the same timing as the mishap in January – several engines seemed to cut while the vessel vehicle with upper stage still accelerated in space. The live video showed that the job was running before any communication was lost.
“I think it is quite obvious that we are not going to continue the rest of the mission today,” said SpaceX communications director Dan Huot, on the live broadcast of the company.
Shortly after the accident, ground stops were ordered at Florida airports due to “space launch debris”, especially at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport.
Videos have emerged on social networks that seek showing the explosion and possible debris.
An X user displayed images of what looked like a ball of smoke above Boynton Beach, Florida, while others in Jamaica and Turks and Caïcos have captured streaks of debris of steering steering in the sky.
In a declaration on X, SpaceX said that Starship separated – which he described as “an unforeseen rapid disassembly” – during his ascent.
“Our team immediately started coordinating with security officials to implement pre-plane responses,” SpaceX wrote. “We will review the data in today’s flight test to better understand the deep cause. As always, success comes from what we learn.”
Huot said during the webdiffusion that SpaceX has measures to follow possible debris and that it works “in close collaboration with air traffic control”.
It is not quite rare that accidents occur in the development of new rockets and spacecrafts, but Thursday’s backhand is the second consecutive for starship.
During the seventh system test mission on January 16, SpaceX also lost communication with the upper vehicle stadium after about 8 minutes. He then exploded on the Caribbean, sending dust and small pieces of debris falling on parts of the Turks and Caics. Local authorities, however, said that there were no injuries or significant damage to property.
After this accident, the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation. Although he then erased the spaceship for Thursday’s test flight, the investigation is underway.
The FAA is one of the many federal agencies that the Trump administration has targeted for budget and staff discounts. It is not clear, however, if workers in the government’s efficiency department, led by the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, had a presence within the commercial division of FAA space flights, which supervises private companies like SpaceX.
SpaceX said that his internal investigation into the explosion revealed that the most likely cause was the fleeing propeller who sparked “sustained fires” in a vessel section known as “attic”, between the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank and the rear thermal shield.
The company said that it had made several upgrades to the upper stadium before Thursday’s launch to avoid similar fires, including adding more ventilation in the non -pressurized attic.
Although the last test flight was short -lived, it has taken an important step. The Super Heavy booster successfully returned to its launch site and settled on the robotic arms of the tower. It was the third time that SpaceX has started the impressive “capture” maneuver, which is a key element of its objective of making starships an entirely reusable system.
Starship, the most powerful rocket ever developed, consists of two parts: a booster on the first floor known as the super heavy space and a space with upper stadium.
Thursday’s starship test flight, like the others before him, was without transmission. SpaceX officials said they would most likely finish hundreds of test missions before the Megarocket transported people.
The new generation Megarotian spacecraft should play a crucial role in NASA’s efforts to return to the moon. NASA has selected SpaceX to transport astronauts to the lunar surface during its planned Artemis III mission, which should be launched in 2027. Musk also said that Starship could be used for future missions in March.
