"Propulsion anomaly"
Test flight: upper part of Musk rocket explodes
The latest test of a "Spaceship" rocket from SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, also encountered problems. Although the lower stage of the rocket was successfully recovered, the upper stage exploded over the Atlantic.
First the SpaceX team lost contact with the upper rocket stage, later the company confirmed that there had been a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" - the company's euphemism for an explosion. The mega-rocket had taken off on a test flight from the Starbase spaceport in Boca Chica, South Texas, at 16:37 (local time, 23:37 CET).
According to the video transmission, the lower stage, named "Super Heavy", slowed down about seven minutes after launch, then glided back to the launch pad and was caught by mechanical arms on the launch tower. SpaceX had only succeeded in catching it again once before, during the test flight in October, and it drew applause and cheers from the team on the ground.
But the triumph was short-lived: immediately after the propulsion stage was recovered, the speakers confirmed in a live internet broadcast that the upper stage had been lost due to a "propulsion anomaly".
Musk with gallows humor: "Entertainment guaranteed"
The flight tracking website Flight Aware showed several aircraft over the Atlantic changing course near the Turks and Caicos Islands. Users on the online service X shared dramatic footage that they said showed the upper stage of the rocket breaking apart as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed," Musk wrote on X, sharing one of the videos (see below).
The Tesla owner does not want to see it as a setback in the billionaires' race for space. "Individual rocket launches are not important. What matters is the expected point in time when a self-sustaining civilization exists on Mars," Musk said on X.
On Friday evening, it was announced that the rocket would have to remain on the ground for the time being after the dramatic test flight. This was decided by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which instructed Musk to conduct an investigation.
Amazon founder is hot on Musk's heels
Also on Thursday, the "New Glenn" rocket from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' US space company Blue Origin took off on its first test flight. "New Glenn" reached Earth orbit as planned, but the reusable propulsion stage failed to return to Earth on the first attempt. With "New Glenn", Blue Origin wants to enter the lucrative market for orbital rockets - and compete with SpaceX.
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