- SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket took off from the company’s Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 16.25 Turkish time on Thursday morning.
- The new test flight was more successful than the previous two attempts as it became the “first Starship to complete a full-duration ascent burn” after six Raptor engines propelled the rocket to its expected orbit.
- This was SpaceX’s third attempt to test its Starship rocket, with the first bursting into flames about four minutes after launch on April 20 last year. The second attempt gave better results on November 18, paving the way for the launch the other day.
SpaceX’s massive Starship took off from the company’s Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 16.25 Turkish time on Thursday morning.
The new test flight was more successful than the previous two attempts as it became the “first Starship to complete a full-duration ascent burn” after six Raptor engines propelled the rocket to its expected orbit. Super Heavy has completed a hot stage separation from its booster and opened a payload gate to demonstrate how it could be used for missions such as delivering Starlink satellites into orbit.
The vehicle remained in one piece until contact with the Starship spacecraft was lost shortly before its expected landing in the Indian Ocean. According to SpaceX, “The flight test ended during entry with the final telemetry signals received from Starship via Starlink at approximately 49 minutes into the mission.”
SpaceX’s flight test feed ended about an hour after liftoff, and the latest feeds from Starship showed what external cameras experienced during reentry.
Before the broadcast ended, after commentators lost communication with the spacecraft, SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said, “We may have lost Starship. We had no word from the ship up to this point, so the crew called it lost. So, there is no bounce today.” He made a statement.
This was SpaceX’s third attempt to test its Starship rocket, with the first bursting into flames about four minutes after launch on April 20 last year. The second attempt on November 18 gave better results. After the Super Heavy booster was separated, the Starship spacecraft continued its journey into orbit, and SpaceX estimates it self-destructed after losing contact with the vehicle.
Last day’s Starship test was given the green light by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the planned launch time, deciding that SpaceX “met all safety, environmental, policy and liability requirements”. According to Space.com, following the investigation into the failed second Starship test, the FAA required SpaceX to complete 17 corrective actions, such as redesigning vehicle hardware, flammability analysis updates, and installing additional fire protection, far more than the 63 corrective actions identified during the first test. it was little.
Compiled by: Alp Eren Gümüş