Elon Musk’s SpaceX claimed a successful launch of its newest Starship variant on Friday evening, overcoming significant engine malfunctions to achieve its intended landing destination in the Indian Ocean. The test flight ended with a massive fireball as the spacecraft tipped into the water off Australia’s western coast, an explosive finale the company said was expected to occur.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the debut flight of SpaceX’s Version 3 Starship lifted off just after 6:30 p.m. from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas on Friday. The mission experienced complications shortly after liftoff when the upper stage, designated Ship 39, separated from its Super Heavy booster with one engine failing to activate. The booster itself encountered more severe problems, with all 33 of its Raptor engines shutting down prematurely after separation. This forced an unplanned high-speed crash into the Gulf of Mexico rather than the intended controlled landing.
“We’ve definitely got a ship
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