SpaceX deployed its Starship’s “flight termination system” at Thursday's test launch, intentionally blowing up the rocket.
The largest rocket ever launched appeared to explode four minutes after launch. It tumbled through the sky after multiple engine failures.
SPACEX'S LARGEST ROCKET EVER BUILT EXPLODES FOUR MINUTES AFTER LAUNCH
“At 8:33 a.m. CT, Starship successfully lifted off from the orbital launch pad for the first time," a statement from SpaceX read. “The vehicle cleared the pad and beach as Starship climbed to an apogee of ~39 km over the Gulf of Mexico – the highest of any Starship to-date. The vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble.”
Liftoff from Starbase pic.twitter.com/rgpc2XO7Z9
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023
SpaceX reported that the rocket climbed to roughly 24 miles before the 33 engines caught fire. The Starship crashed in the Pacific near Hawaii around 90 minutes later.
Starship successfully lifted off from the orbital launch pad and climbed to an apogee of ~39 km over the Gulf of Mexico pic.twitter.com/PcmHRscp6w
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023
“The flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship,” the SpaceX statement read.
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Elon Musk congratulated the SpaceX team and noted the launch was a learning experience on Twitter.
Debris from the explosion was scattered in Port Isabel, Texas, in the Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District area, roughly 6 miles from the launch site.