SpaceX’s Starship has exploded shortly after takeoff in the second launch failure this year for Elon Musk’s interplanetary exploration programme.
But Musk’s rocket company was able to successfully return its mammoth first-stage booster to the launchpad following Thursday’s test-flight, catching it in its giant mechanical “chopsticks” for the third time.
SpaceX’s livestream showed the Starship spacecraft spinning uncontrollably in space minutes after its liftoff from the company’s launch site in Boca Chica, Texas.
“You can see we’ve lost several engines and we’ve lost attitude control for the vehicle,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said during the livestream.
“Once you lose enough of those centre engines, you’re going to lose attitude control,” Huot added. (Aljazeera)