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SpaceX’s Starship rocket began a high-altitude flight at 11:45 am Thursday (New Zealand time) and managed to perform the desired “landing and flip maneuver” before exploding once it returned to Earth.
The CEO of the United States space and aerospace company, Elon Musk, tweeted: “Mars, here we go!”
SpaceX / Screenshot / Supplied
The spacecraft exploded on impact.
Despite the apparent destruction of the ship, personnel at the scene also seemed happy with the result. One person commented: “Amazing work, team. Nice job.”
The text, added as a graphic to the live broadcast of the event, had the message: “Awesome test. Congratulations to the Starship team! “
Spacex
After a successful launch, Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacecraft exploded on Earth.
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SpaceX / Screenshot / Supplied
A congratulatory message after the explosion.
Musk hopes that the Starship versions will one day take humans to other planets, notably Mars. The vessel was to begin that journey with a trip 12.5 kilometers over Boca Chica, Texas.
On Thursday, the second launch attempt was canceled just 2 minutes and 6 seconds before the planned takeoff.
A voice was heard on the video feed saying, “Wait, wait, wait for the countdown.”
SpaceX / Screenshot / Supplied
SpaceX spaceship in flight.
On Wednesday, the first test stalled when the Starship system abandoned launch just a second before liftoff.
The spacecraft appeared to be ready to take off until the last possible moment, when the onboard systems detected an error and then began the automatic abort procedure.
SpaceX / Screenshot / Supplied
After the explosion, Starship was no longer visible.
The rocket prototype must be able to launch and land in a vertical position to allow successful travel between planets.
SpaceX claims that Starship can perform the “landing and flip maneuver … it would be the first time for a vehicle of this size.
Last month, Musk gave the rocket a one-in-three chance to stay in one piece.
Spacex
The Starship countdown was paused 2 minutes and 6 seconds before liftoff during the second launch attempt.
