The 50-meter-long, nine-meter-diameter Starship rocket launched from the Boca Chica spaceport in Texas. Her flight lasted a little over six and a half minutes and was not accompanied by any emergencies. It reached a height of 12.5 kilometers, which is almost a hundred times more than in previous attempts. However, on landing, she was engulfed in flames and tore.
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According to SpaceX owner Elon Muska, “the pressure in the fuel tank was low during the descent, which caused a high speed when in contact” with the ground. He added that SpaceX obtained “all the data we needed” from the test and appreciated the successful phase of the rocket’s exit.
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SpaceX’s Rockship rocket was engulfed in flames as it attempted to land
Photo: Uncredited, ČTK / AP
The ship is to be able to carry up to a hundred tons of cargo and was powered for the first time by three new raptor engines.
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The AP reports that Elon Musk tried to moderate the expectations accompanying this practice test, estimating the chances of success at one in three. “Mars, we’re coming,” he wrote on Twitter, despite the unsuccessful end of the flight.
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The day before, the ship’s launch was blocked by automatic engine systems 1.3 seconds before the scheduled launch.
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