SpaceX Starship megarocket takes off successfully but explodes again
Miami, Nov 18 (EFE).- SpaceX carried out Saturday the second test launch of its Starship megarocket, which took off successfully but once again exploded minutes later.
Unlike during its earlier launch in April, Starship – the largest and most powerful rocket to reach space – also managed to successfully achieve a separation of the propeller and the capsule
The rocket’s launch propelled by its massive 33-engine Raptor Super Heavy booster took place in Boca Chica, Texas, at 7.03am local time (13:03 GMT).
Less than three minutes after takeoff, the stage separation was successfully completed thanks to a “hot staging” system adopted after the April failure.
The Starship rocket has been designed with the aim of reaching the Moon and Mars in the future, and figures in NASA’s Artemis program to reach the Moon.
The megarocket, with a height of 121 meters (397 feet), was expected to reach near orbit and then make a return to Earth within an hour and a half, before falling into the Pacific, near Hawaii.
In the recent launch, SpaceX had anticipated stage separation as the main challenge, and clarified that a possible new failure would contribute towards gathering more information for new adjustments and improvements.
According to SpaceX, Starship will be a reusable system designed to transport crew and cargo to orbit on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
NASA’s Artemis 3 mission is expected to take place towards the end of 2025. EFE
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