New SpaceX rocket Starship explodes on Texas test pad during maiden launch
G2G Good to Great
2020-05-30
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SpaceX prototype vanished in an explosive fireball at the test site in south Texas during a livestream – the heavy-lift rocket is at the centre of Elon Musk's ambition to make human space travel affordable
A prototype of SpaceX's rocket, Starship, exploded during a ground test as the space company pursued an aggressive schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.
Elon Musk's company began testing in south Texas when the heavy-lift rocket exploded on the test pad.
The testing explosion was unrelated to SpaceX's upcoming launch of two NASA astronauts from Florida's Kennedy Space Center using a different rocket system, the Falcon 9 with the Crew Dragon capsule fixed on top.
A prototype vanished in an explosive fireball at SpaceX's Boca Chica test site on Friday, as seen in a livestream recorded by the website NASA Spaceflight.
There was no immediate indication of injuries. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Starship, a rocket standing 394 feet tall, is designed to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo to the moon and Mars. It is the space company's planned next-generation fully reusable launch vehicle, the center of Musk's ambitions to make human space travel affordable.
The south Texas facility sits beside a small neighbourhood that SpaceX has been trying to buy up for testing space, but some residents have pushed back on the company's offers and have accused Musk's attorneys of unrealistically low property appraisals.
SpaceX was among the three companies awarded a combined $1billion by NASA last month to develop rocket systems capable of ferrying cargo and humans to the moon. SpaceX proposed Starship for the award.
The FAA granted the space company a license Thursday to begin Starship's first suborbital flight tests, though it was unclear when those tests would occur.
This comes as NASA astronauts were also due to be launched into space for the first time by Elon Musk ’s company SpaceX on Wednesday at 9.33pm BST.
The milestone mission, known as Demo-2, was due to send two astronauts to the International Space Station.
The adverse weather conditions meant that the launch had to be cancelled.
A prototype of SpaceX's rocket, Starship, exploded during a ground test as the space company pursued an aggressive schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.
Elon Musk's company began testing in south Texas when the heavy-lift rocket exploded on the test pad.
The testing explosion was unrelated to SpaceX's upcoming launch of two NASA astronauts from Florida's Kennedy Space Center using a different rocket system, the Falcon 9 with the Crew Dragon capsule fixed on top.
A prototype vanished in an explosive fireball at SpaceX's Boca Chica test site on Friday, as seen in a livestream recorded by the website NASA Spaceflight.
There was no immediate indication of injuries. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Starship, a rocket standing 394 feet tall, is designed to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo to the moon and Mars. It is the space company's planned next-generation fully reusable launch vehicle, the center of Musk's ambitions to make human space travel affordable.
The south Texas facility sits beside a small neighbourhood that SpaceX has been trying to buy up for testing space, but some residents have pushed back on the company's offers and have accused Musk's attorneys of unrealistically low property appraisals.
SpaceX was among the three companies awarded a combined $1billion by NASA last month to develop rocket systems capable of ferrying cargo and humans to the moon. SpaceX proposed Starship for the award.
The FAA granted the space company a license Thursday to begin Starship's first suborbital flight tests, though it was unclear when those tests would occur.
This comes as NASA astronauts were also due to be launched into space for the first time by Elon Musk ’s company SpaceX on Wednesday at 9.33pm BST.
The milestone mission, known as Demo-2, was due to send two astronauts to the International Space Station.
The adverse weather conditions meant that the launch had to be cancelled.
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