During the test, an unmanned prototype of a Starship missile was launched successfully into the air, but exploded a few minutes later when the missile was about to land on the launch pad at Boca Chica (Texas) in the US.
SpaceX had failed to adhere to the conditions authorized by the FAA in that test, reports tech site The Verge. Both the SpaceX license violation and the explosion prompted the FAA to formally investigate. It is not known which conditions the space company has not complied with.
New engines
The purpose of the test flight was to reach an altitude of about 12.5 kilometers, powered for the first time by three of the new Raptor engines developed by SpaceX. It is not known whether the Starship reached that height.
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Mission to Mars
The rocket, the size of a 16-storey flat, is designed to carry people and 100 tons of cargo in future missions to Mars and the moon.
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