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SpaceX has completed the latest test of its Mars-bound Starship spacecraft, marking another milestone toward Elon Musk’s ambitions for Mars.
The Starship SN10 high-altitude test was the first major flight test of a Starhip prototype to land on the launch pad, and both SN8 and SN9 crashed in a fiery blast upon landing.
About eight minutes after landing, however, SN10 exploded in a huge fireball.
SpaceX did not immediately comment on the incident, but expert observers speculated that it was the result of a hard landing combined with a methane leak.
Shortly before the explosion, video images captured the SN10 spacecraft tilted at a slight angle.
The test took place at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas on Wednesday after several delays.
Despite the explosion, the test represents significant progress in SpaceX’s development of Starship.
SpaceX stated before the flight test that a controlled aerodynamic descent with body flaps and vertical landing capability is “critical for landing Starship at destinations throughout the solar system” where there are no prepared surfaces or runways.
“This capability will enable a fully reusable transportation system designed to transport both crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights and will help humanity return to the Moon and travel to Mars and beyond,” the firm said.
The first manned Starship missions are planned for 2023, and Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has already booked for a flight around the moon.
The first manned missions to Mars could occur in 2024 or 2026 at the earliest, according to Musk.
