(CLO) SpaceX's Starship spacecraft exploded in space on Thursday, just minutes after leaving the launch pad in Texas, marking the second consecutive failure of the Mars rocket program this year.
Social media footage showed pieces of the Starship burning in the sky near southern Florida and the Bahamas at dusk. Images from SpaceX's livestream captured the moment the ship began spinning out of control after several engines shut down.
The incident comes just over a month after Starship exploded on its seventh flight, raising concerns about serious problems in the early stages of the program that SpaceX had previously overcome with ease.
Debris flies across the sky after SpaceX's Starship spacecraft crashed and exploded in space, at Big Sampson Kay, Bahamas, on March 6. Screenshot
The 400-foot-tall Starship lifted off around 6:30 p.m. ET from Boca Chica, Texas. The Super Heavy booster separated and successfully returned to land, but the Starship's upper stage then malfunctioned. Cameras showed the engine shutting down before SpaceX confirmed it had lost contact with the ship.
"Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so now we have experience," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot admitted during the livestream.
Although Elon Musk aims to accelerate Starship development this year, two consecutive explosions show many unresolved challenges.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a halt to operations at Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Orlando airports due to the risk of space debris, lasting until at least 8pm the same day.
"During the Starship fire, the ship experienced an unplanned, sudden disconnection and lost communications. Our team immediately coordinated with safety officials to implement pre-determined contingency measures," SpaceX said in a statement after the incident.
The Starship explosion in January previously created a shower of debris over the Caribbean islands, causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Ngoc Anh (according to SpaceX, CNBC, Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tau-starship-lai-no-tung-trong-khong-giant-tao-ra-mua-manh-vo-post337504.html
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