ELON Musk’s Starship Rocket Explodes in Mid-Air, but He Remains Optimistic
In a dramatic mid-air failure, the seventh test flight of Elon Musk’s Starship rocket exploded just minutes into its journey, sending glowing debris raining down across the sky. The rocket, which reached an altitude of 90 miles and a velocity of 13,245 mph, vanished during its ascent burn, with SpaceX confirming that the ship experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
The failure occurred just over eight minutes into the flight, with the company’s livestream host confirming the worst. Despite the setback, Musk took to social media to put a positive spin on the event, posting a video of the debris falling from the sky with the caption “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
The explosion forced nearby air traffic to divert, with passenger jets being re-routed to avoid the falling debris. Airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic were impacted, with planes being forced to change course to avoid the danger.
The failed test flight came as SpaceX prepared to launch its first crewed mission to the International Space Station. The Starship prototype, which was being tested for its ability to carry humans to Mars, had undergone significant upgrades since its last test flight in November.
Despite the setback, Musk remains optimistic about the future of his space company, tweeting ahead of the liftoff, “Every Starship launch is one more step closer towards Mars.” The company’s next test flight is expected to take place soon, with Musk promising that each launch brings his team closer to achieving their goal of building a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying humans to the red planet.