BOCA CHICA, Texas - SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft exploded minutes after liftoff in an uncrewed test flight from South Texas on Thursday, cutting short a key step in Elon Musk's development of a rocket vessel to eventually take humans to the moon and Mars, Joe Skipper and Steve Gorman report for Reuters. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
24 April 2023 -The gigantic two-stage rocket was set to reach some 90 miles above the surface of the Earth, but suffered a failure approximately 25 miles off the ground. Still, SpaceX officials were heartened the primary goal - achieving liftoff - was accomplished.
The company said the rocket "experienced multiple engines out" during its climb and then "lost altitude and began to tumble," then "flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and the ship."
SpaceX founder Elon Musk Tweeted, "Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch."
Related: SpaceX launches two NASA astronauts, a cosmonaut and an Emerati on flight to space station
Related: Chinese carmaker joins SpaceX in low-Earth-orbit satellite race
Related: Chinese carmaker joins SpaceX in low-Earth-orbit satellite race
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
