Starship prototype continues to explode during attempted landing back on Earth

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This morning, SpaceX's Starship prototype was launched several miles high in a test deemed successful before the vessel exploded upon descent. This marks the second consecutive failed landing...

This time, SN9 reached a height of 10 km, slightly lower than its predecessor SN8. Upon reaching the journey's limit, SN9 began shutting down 3 engines to freefall back to Earth, slightly tilting to test the newly installed flaps before initiating a belly flop maneuver. If all goes as planned, the spacecraft will land vertically back on the ground, a method SpaceX has successfully tested dozens of times with the Falcon 9 (after experiencing a series of failures for several years).

Unfortunately, SN9 nosedived towards the landing pad at a 45-degree angle, then slammed into the ground and exploded like a fireball. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially stepped in to investigate the cause of the explosion, aiming to make future missions safer.

Starship is the spacecraft that SpaceX has been dedicating years to research and develop, aiming to transport humans to the Moon and eventually to Mars. This stainless steel spacecraft is expected to be launched into space by a powerful rocket named Super Heavy, with the capability to return to Earth after completing missions similar to the current Falcon 9 rocket. Once completed, the Starship/Super Heavy combo could lift payloads weighing up to 100,000 kg into low Earth orbit, making it one of the most powerful rockets ever built, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Source: The Verge

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