The world’s most powerful rocket was launched today in a test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. According to FOX News, SpaceX’s Starship, which is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, blasted off in Texas on Thursday morning. Although it successfully left the launch pad, it exploded within a few minutes mid-flight. Still, Musk praised the success of the launch on Twitter, noting that a lot was learned for the next test launch in a few months.
SpaceX wrote on Twitter, “As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” adding that “with a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make like multi-planetary.”
For the first test flight of Starship, crowds were in awe as the colossal rocket lifted off the launch pad. Prior to the launch, however, Musk downplayed it emphasizing that it was a test. According to CBS News, Musk said “Starship is the biggest rocket ever made…It’s over twice the thrust of a Saturn 5, the Saturn 5 moon rocket, which is largest rocket ever to get to orbit, it’s roughly twice the mass. So, we’ve got 33 engines on the booster, we’ve got six engines on the upper stage of the ship. It’s a lot of engines…So I guess I would just like to set expectations low. If we get far enough away from the launch pad before something goes wrong, then I think I would consider that to be a success. Just don’t blow up the launch pad!”
Considering the purpose of the test flight, it appears to have been a success and will propel the SpaceX mission forward. The test flight is part of SpaceX’s mission to send people and cargo to the moon. NASA has reserved Starship to send a team of astronauts ready to walk on the moon. NASA is requiring one unpiloted lunar test flight before sending astronauts for a landing attempt. This goal is set for 2025, and NASA is hopeful SpaceX will meet that goal.
In response to today’s test flight, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson tweeted, “Congrats to @SpaceX on Starship’s first integrated flight test! Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test-and beyond.”