SpaceX Starship Explodes Over Caribbean, Causing Spectacular Light Show – National

SpaceX launched its seventh test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday, but the spacecraft was destroyed after a booster caught back at the pad.

Elon Musk’s company said the Starship broke apart, calling it a “rapid unplanned disassembly.” The rocket appeared to lift off from SpaceX’s launch pad at its Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas, but eight and a half minutes into the mission, ground control announced that it had lost all communication with the ship.

Flights near the Turks and Caicos Islands were seen diverting to avoid the debris from the blast on Thursday, and footage was shared of debris falling from the sky in the area.

Musk shared a video of the debris that falls, writing, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

The Federal Aviation Administration announced a brief suspension of flights in and around the Florida area due to possible falling debris from the launch.

The spacecraft was to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near-around-the-world loop, similar to previous tests. SpaceX packed the new and upgraded model with 10 dummy satellites to practice releasing them.

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One minute before the loss, SpaceX used the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms to capture the returning booster, a feat accomplished only once before. The falling superheavy first-stage booster hovered above the launch pad before being grabbed by a pair of robotic arms, called chopsticks.

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Trump, Musk watch SpaceX’s 6th Starship test flight, splashdown in Texas

There were no astronauts on board the test flight mission, and the last data received from the spacecraft indicated an altitude of 146 kilometers and a speed of 13,245 km/h.

“Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship’s engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure beyond wind capacity,” Musk wrote on X hours after Flight 7 launched. “Besides obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase the vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing the next launch past next month.”

It was the seventh test flight for the world’s largest and most powerful rocket. The mission marked the second time that SpaceX has been able to return and capture the stage booster using the launch tower.

NASA has reserved a pair of starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade, while Musk’s ultimate goal is Mars.

He also plans to launch actual Starlinks on Starships before moving on to other satellites and eventually crews.

—With files from The Associated Press

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