SpaceX’s latest prototype exploded in a massive fireball during an emergency landing from a test flight on Tuesday – meeting the same fate as a previous test missile.
The Starship’s steel prototype with serial number 9 (SN9) went up in flames at the end of an otherwise successful high-altitude test from Boca Chica, Texas, according to stunning footage from the crash. “We had another great flight,” said SpaceX announcer during the online broadcast. “We just have to work on that landing a little bit.”
The missile launched at around 3:30 PM and flew as high as 10 kilometers, or about 32,800 feet, before going into a horizontal “belly flop” position and performing a series of maneuvers.
It then tried to land upright, but seemed to come in too fast and at a bad angle, according to the footage.
The flight ended in a deafening crash, which set off a fiery explosion that created a cloud of dust and flames.
The explosion was similar to the one in December when the company’s SN8 missile was destroyed.
Both are prototypes being developed by CEO Elon Musk’s space company in the hope that they will one day transport humans on missions to the Moon and Mars.
Musk was unusual silent on Twitter on Tuesday’s flight, after announcing the night before that he was taking a break from the social media platform.
The tech billionaire had tweeted during the flight in December, among other things to say that despite the crash landing, the mission was largely a success.
SpaceX did not immediately comment.
Both are prototypes being developed by CEO Elon Musk’s space company in hopes of sending humans on missions to the Moon and Mars.