Previous test flights ended in an explosion before, during, or shortly after landing in the southeastern tip of Texas near Brownsville. This time, however, an improved version of the ammunition rocket flew from the SpaceX development and testing facility in Boca Chica to a height of more than 10 kilometers above the Gulf of Mexico, then turned and descended first in a horizontal position and just before landing.
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“Starship has landed!” The test flight commentator announced.
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However, the test was not without its problems. After landing, the rocket began to burn, but a small fire was quickly extinguished and the rocket marked SN15 remained standing after a six-minute flight. According to Musek, the landing was “prescribed”.
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Starship landing nominal!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2021
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Modified prototype
The 15th prototype missile is the first to be destroyed after reaching high altitude, CNBC said. The flight itself was similar to the prototypes SN8, SN9, SN 10 and SN11. They all started successfully, but the return was not successful. The first two were destroyed on impact with the ground, SN10 exploded after landing and SN11 failed just before landing.
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SpaceX said the SN15 has “improved structure, avionics and software,” compared to previous prototypes. The control of the Raptor engine was also modified. The launches of the SN15 and two other prototypes were approved last week by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after the company made changes to the program after the SN11 crash.
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Prototypes of the Starship missile resembling an artillery charge are 45 meters high and are powered by three Raptor engines.
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Starship missiles should transport cargo to the moon in the future and even take a flight to Mars.
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In mid-April, NASA decided to allocate $ 2.9 billion to SpaceX to develop a Starship rocket to transport American astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis mission. However, the company has not yet received the money due to objections from rival companies Blue Origin and Dynetics, which are being investigated by the General Bureau of Budget Control (GAO), and work on finalizing the contract with SpaceX was stopped on April 30 before the objections are investigated.
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