An unmanned SpaceX test rocket launched perfectly and landed successfully on Earth on Wednesday (March 3), but exploded on the launch pad shortly after landing. The ultimate goal of the rocket, called Starship SN10, is to take humans to the moon and the vastness of the universe.
This was the third consecutive test flight of the rocket to end in an explosion. It flew to an altitude of more than 10 kilometers, descended horizontally, then flipped upright and landed perfectly at the Boca Chica, Texas, test facility.
Video from the launch pad shows the vehicle starting to tilt slightly eight minutes after landing and emitting smoke before exploding. In previous tests, the vehicle exploded after a hard landing.
SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted, “Starship 10 landed intact! Rest in peace, SN10, you are retiring in glory.” There is no explanation for the rocket’s explosion, but a fuel leak is suspected.
The shiny bullet-shaped rocket ship, which stands 120 meters tall when placed on its super-heavyweight first stage thrusters, is SpaceX’s next generation of reusable launch vehicles. A reusable rocket is also Musk’s most ambitious goal, aiming to be able to make human space travel more economical and routine.
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