[ad_1]
WASHINGTON. March 4: An unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded on the ground Wednesday after making what appeared to be a successful flight and landing.
It was the third consecutive error related to the prototype of the Starship rocket, which SpaceX hopes to one day send to Mars. The last two test flights ended in accidents.
“A beautiful soft landing,” a SpaceX commentator said on the test flight’s live feed, though flames were coming out of the bottom and crews were trying to put them out.
The rocket exploded a few minutes later. It was thrown into the air and crashed to the ground.
No explanation was immediately provided.
As seen in the SpaceX video, the rocket appeared to have landed properly after its flight.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has been developing the next-generation Starship rocket for the purpose of going to Mars, although two prototypes exploded spectacularly in his recent tests.
The latest prototype, named SN10, for “serial number 10,” took off just before 1120 GMT from Boca Chica, Texas.
The other two prototypes (SN8 and SN9) crashed on landing, in December and then in early February.
The tests are taking place in a near-desert area rented by SpaceX in South Texas near the Mexican border and along the Gulf of Mexico; the area is wide and empty enough that an accident or explosion does not cause injury or death.
Aside from Mars, the rocket, if it goes online, could also prove useful for closer trips, especially to the Moon. AFP
[ad_2]
