Published 08:47 IST, March 4th 2021
SpaceX's Starship rocket makes seemingly successful touchdown, explodes minutes later
SpaceX's latest Starship prototype went out in a blaze of glory. The bullet-shaped Starship SN10 spacecraft touched down successfully after a high-altitude test
SpaceX's latest Starship prototype went out in a blaze of glory. The bullet-shaped Starship SN10 spacecraft touched down successfully after a high-altitude test flight on March 3 (local time). While the vehicle exploded merely eight minutes after landing, the test marks a major milestone for the company which has failed twice in getting its super heavyweight launch vehicle back on land safely.
The futuristic stainless-steel Starship SN10, which is its prototype for future mars landing, was launched from SpaceX's South Texas site at 6:15 p.m. EST. The rocket rose 6.2 miles (10 kilometres) into the sky and then came back to Earth for a smooth touchdown 6 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff. However, merely eight minutes after its epic touchdown, it exploded.
SpaceX has already made two attempts to test its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship that could take humans to Mars. On February 2, Elon Musk’s company launched its second Starship prototype from the southeastern tip of Texas two months after the previous test ended in an equally explosive belly flop. The destroyed vehicle, SpaceX’s Starship SN9, was an early prototype for a rocket the company hopes will carry the first humans to the Red planet.
Musk’s Mars mission
SpaceX Starship vehicle is designed to carry unprecedented weights to outer space and can deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than the company's current Falcon vehicles, which are being used by NASA to deliver crew and cargo to the ISS. Musk is developing Starship to carry people to Mars, perhaps in as little as several years. He wants to use his SpaceX mission to help humanity and also plans to create a "Colony of Humans" on Mars.
Back in November, the tech mogul had even said that he wants to make his own laws on the Red planet. Musk said that once SpaceX reaches Mars, it will colonize the planet as there are no “universal laws on the planet”. All Martian settlement will be dealt with using "self-governing principles”, Musk said in a document that lists Terms of Service of its Starlink internet project, declaring himself the governing entity in space. Further, the rocket company's satellite-based internet service, Starlink suggests that it will not recognise the land-based international law that governs Earth on the red planet.
Updated 11:45 IST, March 4th 2021