China News Service, February 3, according to Russian satellite network reports, on the 2nd local time, the US Space Exploration Technology Company (SpaceX) used the "Starship" prototype rocket for manned voyages in space. The latest time was over 10,000 meters. An explosion occurred during landing during a high altitude test flight.
On November 20, 2019 local time, some of the hull equipment exploded during a ground test of the SpaceX’s beta "Starship" prototype in Texas, spewing large amounts of gas.
According to reports, the aircraft took off from the company's Texas test site, rushed to an altitude of more than 10,000 meters in the 5th minute of the flight, then turned in the air and started to lower its altitude after leveling.
On December 9, 2020 local time, the "Xingzhou" SN8 prototype launched by SpaceX exploded during a test mission.
Image source: Screenshot of SpaceX official website video
The live broadcast host explained that the company has tested the stability of the aircraft during the supersonic flight phase, including checking the ability of the outer flaps to maintain the stable state of the fuselage.
After reaching an altitude of about 1500 meters above the ground, the aircraft entered a vertical state again and was about to land, but as last time, it exploded several seconds before touching the ground, exploding into a fireball.
The entire flight lasted 6 minutes and 26 seconds.
Data map: Musk, founder of the American Space Exploration Technology Company.
This is the second launch of the "interstellar spacecraft" at an altitude of more than 10,000 meters.
The first launch was carried out on December 9, 2020, local time. It also exploded and disintegrated during landing, but the test was still deemed successful because its primary goal was not to land, but to check the rocket's movements in the air, including turning and direction. The maneuverability when sliding on the surface, the operating status of each system, etc.
SpaceX CEO Musk assessed that the probability of a successful landing was only one-third before the aircraft took off.
When the first explosion occurred on December 9, 2020, he also posted on social media: "We have got all the required data, congratulations to the SpaceX team!" "Mars, here we are!".