Starship Soars: Uncrewed Launch Pushes Boundaries
SpaceX's Starship rocket, a key player in Elon Musk's vision for multiplanetary travel, completed its ninth uncrewed test launch. Successfully reaching suborbital space, the spacecraft faced challenges, including communication loss with the booster and attitude control during re-entry, before its scheduled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
The SpaceX Starship, pivotal in Elon Musk's quest for space exploration, made strides on Tuesday during its ninth uncrewed test flight. Launching from Texas, the spacecraft surpassed previous attempts that concluded in failure, yet faced its own share of challenges.
Powered by Super Heavy's Raptor engines, the spacecraft lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, its flames and exhaust painting the sky. Notably, this marked the debut of a reusable Super Heavy booster aiding the Starship system. However, post-launch, SpaceX lost contact with the returning booster, presumed to have missed its controlled sea landing.
Despite the initial success, Starship's journey was not glitch-free. The upper vehicle advanced into its intended suborbital path, though an attempt to deploy mock satellites hit a snag. Eventually, SpaceX reported loss of control as the vehicle approached its planned splashdown, casting doubt on its complete mission success.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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