SpaceX rocket takes off and explodes a short time later – the event in 4 points

The SpaceX “Starship” has taken off for the first time. However, after a few minutes in the air, the largest and most powerful rocket exploded. The test flight is still considered a success. Here you will find out the most important things:

What happened?

The unmanned giant rocket “Starship” from the American aerospace company SpaceX took off for the first time on Thursday during its test flight. A few minutes later, however, it exploded:

The “Starship” initially lifted off the ground shortly before 4 p.m. Swiss time in Brownsville, Texas, engulfing much fire and smoke. A few minutes later – shortly before the planned separation of the two rocket stages – live footage showed the missile system beginning to tumble and eventually bursting into flames. Actually, the test should have lasted about 90 minutes and ended with the landing of both flights of stairs.

The whole in full:

How are the reactions?

SpaceX

“As if the flight test wasn’t exciting enough, there was a rapid, unplanned breakup of the ‘Starship’ prior to phase separation,” SpaceX said on Twitter. “In a test like this, success depends on what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve the reliability of ‘Starship’.” The team will now extensively evaluate the test data and work towards the next test start.

«What a great first test of ‘Starship’! A great achievement, great lessons, let’s try again. Well done everyone at SpaceX!”

Thomas Pesquet, French astronaut

“Never confuse attempt with failure.”

Children in kindergarten in the US

What is there to know about «Starship»?

With a total height of 120 meters, “Starship” is taller than the Statue of Liberty and the largest rocket system ever built in space history. At some point it should take people to the moon and Mars – now it has started as a test for the first time.

The “Starship” system is designed so that the spacecraft and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth. The upper stage had been self-tested several times, but this was the first combined test flight of the entire missile system.

The system, which is about 120 meters long in total, should be able to transport more than 100 tons of freight in the future. The rocket is powered by 33 “Raptor” engines that run on liquid methane and liquid oxygen. The system must be able to be refueled in space. With the SpaceX “Starship”, the American space agency NASA wants to take astronauts to the moon. SpaceX hopes to go to Mars one day.

What happened on the first try?

As early as Monday, April 17, the private space company SpaceX would like to test the most powerful rocket ever built, Starship, for the first time. But shortly before the start came the crash – there was a problem with the pressure equalization.

Monday, shortly before launch, “apparently a pressure equalization problem in the rocket’s first stage was discovered.” SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that a valve had frozen. That is not unusual, because filling a rocket with fuel is a tricky business. As recently as March, Musk said there was about a 50 percent chance Starship would make it to orbit the first time.

(yam/lacquer/sda)