SPACEX - A prototype of SpaceX's future giant Starship rocket, two previous examples of which crashed in huge fireballs at the end of their test flight, landed successfully in Texas on Wednesday 3 March, but exploded on the ground a few minutes later, as you can see in the video at the top of this article.
"A magnificent soft landing", SpaceX commented in the video broadcasting the test flight live. However, flames were visible at the foot of the rocket, which were being extinguished by the teams on site. A few minutes later, a huge explosion threw the rocket into the air, and it crashed to the ground.
No immediate explanation was given.
This vehicle is destined to become the rocket of choice for SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, to one day travel to Mars.
Ten kilometres above sea level
The prototype, named SN10 for "Serial Number 10", took off just before 11.20pm from Boca Chica, Texas, for a third suborbital test.
The craft climbed into the sky, powered by three engines that shut down one after the other, and the vehicle rolled over into a horizontal position.
It reached an altitude of 10 kilometres before beginning its descent, and the rocket then returned to a vertical position, managing to land in the desired location without any apparent problem.
Two other prototypes (SN8 and SN9) crashed on landing in December and again in early February.
These tests are taking place in a virtually deserted area rented by SpaceX, in the far south of Texas, close to the border with Mexico and on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico - an area empty enough for an accident or explosion not to cause any damage or casualties.
Elon Musk imagines one day launching several of these spaceships to conquer Mars. But initially, the rocket, if it becomes operational, could prove useful for closer trips, notably to the Moon.
By huffingtonpost.fr
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