SpaceX’s fully-integrated Starship and super-heavy rocket successfully lift off for first test flight, second launch attempt
Posted Date – Thu, 4/20/23 at 11:45pm
The SpaceX Starship launch Thursday, April 20, 2023, from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. (Photo by Associated Press)
San Francisco: The first flight test of SpaceX’s fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket, designed to take humans to the moon, Mars and beyond, has successfully lifted off on a second launch attempt.
“Congratulations to the @SpaceX team on an exciting Starship test launch!” CEO Elon Musk tweeted.
“Learned a lot for the next beta release in a few months,” he added.
Just after 8:28 a.m. ET (6:58 p.m. PT), Starship fired up its Raptor engines on a Super Heavy booster and lifted off from the Starbase launch pad in Texas.
However, separation of the booster from the spacecraft atop the rocket appears to have failed. Some of the booster’s 33 engines also appeared to have failed to ignite.
The explosion meant the test flight was successful, but what caused the failed separation is unclear.
“As if flight testing wasn’t exciting enough, Starship underwent a quick unscheduled disassembly prior to stage separation,” SpaceX said in a tweet.
“The team will continue to review the data and work on our next flight test.”
It was SpaceX’s second launch attempt after Monday’s first was canceled at the last minute due to a problem with the pressurization system on Starship’s first stage, a giant booster called Super Heavy.
The Super Heavy booster could splash down violently in the Gulf of Mexico about eight minutes after liftoff.
According to reports, Starship’s upper spacecraft will circle the Earth once and land in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii about 90 minutes after launch.
The test is designed to collect data on system performance, which is critical for future development.
“Success depends on how much we can learn from a test like this, which will inform the future and improve the likelihood of success as SpaceX rapidly advances Starship development,” the company said.
SpaceX’s goal is to use Starship as a fully reusable transportation system to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help return humans to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond.
Starship is the tallest rocket ever built. The fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rockets are 394 feet tall and approximately 30 feet in diameter.
