SpaceX's third Starship prototype landed safely on the ground but exploded minutes later on its landing pad. One hour after the explosion, SpaceX's founder Elon Musk tweeted to celebrate the landing "in one piece." His company hopes one day to send the Starship rocket to Mars. The event was broadcasted live and hosted by commentator John Insprucker who announced the successful landing saying "A beautiful soft landing," although flames were coming out at the bottom and crews were trying to put them out. The rocket exploded a few minutes later. It was thrown into the air and crashed back to the ground.
"As if the flight test was not exciting enough, SN10 experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly shortly after landing," SpaceX said.
The latest prototype, named SN10, for "serial number 10," took off from Boca Chica, Texas in the third high-altitude test flight. Few minutes after completing its 10-kilometer planned altitude hop, each of the rocket's three engines gradually shut down to prepare for a brief free-fall back to land, and the rocket swoop itself into a vertical position for landing. At first, the test flight seemed successful as the rocket landed vertically on its pad, however, the celebrations faded quickly.
The tests take place in a nearly deserted area leased by SpaceX in South Texas near the border with Mexico and next to the Gulf of Mexico -- the area is vast and empty enough that an accident or explosion would not cause damage or fatalities.
If it becomes operational, the rocket could also prove useful for closer trips, especially to the Moon, where NASA hopes to return and establish a permanent presence by 2024. Starship is also supposed to fly Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on a trip to the moon in 2023. The cost of the trip is not yet unveiled.
