SpaceX's loses mega rocket near end of test flight
SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try Thursday, but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.
The company said it lost contact with Starship as it neared its goal, a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The first-stage booster also ended up in pieces, breaking apart much earlier in the flight over the Gulf of Mexico after launching from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.
“The ship has been lost. So no splashdown today,” said SpaceX’s Dan Huot. “But again, it’s incredible to see how much further we got this time around.”
Two test flights last year both ended in explosions minutes after liftoff. By surviving for close to 50 minutes this time, Thursday’s effort was considered a win by not only SpaceX’s Elon Musk, but NASA as well as Starship soared higher and farther than ever before. The space agency is counting on Starship to land its astronauts on the moon in another few years.
Related articles
Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America
NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Matt Turner and Tim Ream will be given the three weeks ahead2024-05-21AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa
April 12-18, 2024Performers take part in the official flame lighting ceremony in Athens in preparati2024-05-21More people are evacuated after the dramatic eruption of an Indonesian volcano
MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — More people living near an erupting volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island2024-05-21Biden’s new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, but transgender sports rule still on hold
The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault2024-05-21NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
DENVER (AP) — Anthony Edwards overcame a slow start and the Timberwolves roared back from a 20-point2024-05-21Netflix adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley fuels tourism to tiny Italian town
The Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1950s novel, 'The Talented Mr. Ripley,' has sparked a2024-05-21
atest comment