Tag: starship spacex

Giant SpaceX rocket leaves crater, serious damage at Texas base
Technology

Giant SpaceX rocket leaves crater, serious damage at Texas base

[ad_1] Flying chunks of concrete, twisted metal sheets, craters blasted deep into the ground: the thunderous power of SpaceX's first test flight of Starship -- the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built -- inflicted serious damage on its Texas launch site. Repairing the damage from Thursday's unmanned test flight is expected to take months, potentially delaying further launch attempts and slowing the development of a rocket NASA plans to use on its upcoming Moon missions. SpaceX boss Elon Musk had said before the test that just getting Starship in the air without destroying its launch pad would be "a win." Luckily for Musk, the 390-foot-tall (120-meter) rocket successfully lifted off, climbing for about four minutes until it tumbled and exploded, well over the Gulf of Mexico. But...
SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes Shortly After Liftoff
Technology

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes Shortly After Liftoff

[ad_1] SpaceX attempted to send its Starship system into space on Thursday, with the massive rocket exploding shortly after liftoff.The mishap potentially complicates Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's goal to send humans back to the moon and to deep-space destinations including Mars. Thursday's test was a crucial one for Starship, the largest rocket ever built, and meant to show that the vehicle could reach space and complete a partial orbit of Earth. The explosion occurred just under four minutes after Starship lifted off from the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas, early morning on Thursday. The rocket failed to separate from its Super Heavy booster, causing a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” according to SpaceX. The company hasn't released more information about what caused th...