The biggest and most powerful rocket successfully launched off on an unpiloted flight from southern Texas Thursday morning.
Well, at least for two minutes. The starship malfunctioned and disassembled while awaiting a stage separation. SpaceX livestream hosts said its failure was a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
“Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,” said SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, serving as a launch commentator on the company’s webcast.
“Now, this was a development test, this was the first test flight of Starship, and the goal is to gather the data and as we said, clear the pad and get ready to go again. So you never know exactly what’s going to happen, but as we promised, excitement is guaranteed! Starship gave us a rather spectacular end to what was truly an incredible test.”
SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, briefly takes flight then explodes in midair on first launch attempt https://t.co/7fPWwnLKE0 pic.twitter.com/2yZpePHMJJ
— CNN (@CNN) April 20, 2023
SpaceX founder, Elon Musk, was pleased with the mission, tweeting: “Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”
Thousands of area residents, tourists, and journalists witnessed the launch from nearby South Padre Island. The 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines powering the Super Heavy first stage roared around 9:30 a.m. EDT.
The launch was the first of the Starship’s two sections together. It was initially scheduled for Monday but was canceled when a stuck valve needed to pressurize the first-stage booster had issues during fueling.
If the flight went as planned, it would have flown for an hour and a half, with the first-stage booster, or the Super Heavy, dropping into the Gulf of Mexico. This is the inaugural Super Heavy flight.
SpaceX’s long-term goal is to send people and cargo to the moon and Mars.
Musk previously estimated– an 80% chance–that one of the fleets will reach orbit before next year and expects it will take a couple of years to achieve full and rapid reusability.
The FAA approved the company’s launch license last Friday. The license is valid for five years. The agency said it would oversee a mishap investigation, CBS News reported.
NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, which could happen as early as 2025.
