Starship SN11 prototype crashes on test flight
Posted: Sat, Apr 3, 2021, 10:58 AM ET (1458 GMT)
SpaceX's latest Starship prototype launched, and crashed, Tuesday morning. The Starship SN11 vehicle lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, at about 9 am EDT (1300 GMT) despite dense fog that made it all but impossible to see it. The vehicle flew to its planned altitude of 10 kilometers and descended back to the pad, but contact with the vehicle was lost nearly six minutes after liftoff, just as it was restarting its engines for landing. SpaceX later said that SN11 "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly" shortly after that landing burn started. The vehicle is the fourth Starship prototype to launch in less than four months, all of which either crashed or exploded shortly after landing. The FAA said it will oversee SpaceX's investigation into the mishap and also look into reports that debris from the vehicle was found several kilometers away, outside the exclusion zone for the flight.
SpaceX's latest Starship prototype launched, and crashed, Tuesday morning. The Starship SN11 vehicle lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, at about 9 am EDT (1300 GMT) despite dense fog that made it all but impossible to see it. The vehicle flew to its planned altitude of 10 kilometers and descended back to the pad, but contact with the vehicle was lost nearly six minutes after liftoff, just as it was restarting its engines for landing. SpaceX later said that SN11 "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly" shortly after that landing burn started. The vehicle is the fourth Starship prototype to launch in less than four months, all of which either crashed or exploded shortly after landing. The FAA said it will oversee SpaceX's investigation into the mishap and also look into reports that debris from the vehicle was found several kilometers away, outside the exclusion zone for the flight.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Retired Air Force officer nominated to be NASA deputy administrator
Posted: Sat, May 10 9:44 AM ET (1344 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, May 11
Spire Global Schedules First Quarter 2025 Results Conference Call
Spire — 4:15 pm ET (2015 GMT) NASA's Webb Lifts Veil on Common but Mysterious Type of Exoplanet
STScI — 9:50 am ET (1350 GMT) Northrop Grumman to Develop Additional Relay Ground Stations to Support US Space Force’s Next-Generation OPIR Program
Northrop Grumman — 9:50 am ET (1350 GMT) AAC Clyde Space wins EUR 570 000 order for power systems
AAC Clyde Space — 9:47 am ET (1347 GMT) Stratolaunch Successfully Completes Reusable Hypersonic Flight and Recovery with Talon-A2 Vehicle
Stratolaunch Systems — 9:46 am ET (1346 GMT) |
