SpaceX Starship Explodes on Landing After Test Flight

The test flight had been widely-anticipated among space buffs…

The crash ended up causing a huge explosion. Keep scrolling to see the video of the moment for yourself…

The mission carried NASA astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS as part of their Crew Dragon human spacecraft development program.

But there was always one thing that could have halted the mission altogether.

The weather.

But the conditions remained stable, and the spacecraft took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

“SpaceX and Nasa also need to listen to what the meteorologists are telling them about the conditions along the flight line in the event that the Dragon has to abort its ascent. If something goes wrong with its rocket, the capsule will need to splashdown somewhere along a swathe of ocean that stretches all the way up the eastern seaboard of the US and reaches across to the British Isles.”

“SpaceX has designated certain zones where the crew would ditch, and each one has to have benign wave and wind conditions. If any of these zones step outside the permitted criteria, the launch will not proceed… Even if it’s a beautiful day back in Florida. And just to add to the complication, a tropical storm has formed off South Carolina.”

So why was last year’s launch so important?

Well, it was the final mission (of The Demo-2) and was said to help to determine if the Falcon 9, “the rocket that carries it to orbit,” would be certified for regular use by NASA.

Obviously, you’ve heard about the flat-earth theory, right?

As it entered orbit, live footage was streamed to the world of the planet in all its round glory. A user commented saying: “One thing I can certainly clear up after watching that amazing event… The Earth is definitely not flat. Sorry Flat Earthers you’ve been debunked.”

Safe to say, there was a big reaction. 

And now, SpaceX has hit headlines once again but this time things haven’t quite gone to plan…

In SpaceX’s latest test to send a spacecraft to Mars…

It exploded.

The incident happened on February 2nd, when the Starship SN9 prototype left SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas.

The spacecraft climbed to roughly 10km above the Texas Gulf coast.

It then descended where it should have performed a complex manoeuvre for landing.

But, after failing to do so, the starship came crashing down on the landing pad.

And the SN9 burst into flames.

Fortunately, the test required no crew members onboard.

SpaceX webcast commentator John Insprucker said about the scene, “Remember, this was a test flight, the second time we’ve flown Starship in this configuration.”

“We’ve just got to work on that landing a little bit.”

In a post on the SpaceX website, they explained, “The Starship prototype descended under active aerodynamic control, accomplished by independent movement of 2 forward and 2 aft flaps on the vehicle.”

“All four flaps are actuated by an onboard flight computer to control Starship’s attitude during flight and enable precise landing at the intended location. During the landing flip maneuver, one of the Raptor engines did not relight and caused SN9 to land at high speed and experience a RUD.”