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Live images show Starship 28's final moments surrounded by plasma
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The spacecraft failed to reignite the Raptor's engine, causing it to veer off course and fall in a controlled manner into the Indian Ocean.
Gone are the days when a spacecraft looked like a poorly finished water tank. During today's test, the spacecraft reached its planned altitude for the first time and flew for more than 40 minutes You fall into the ocean surrounded by plasma. SpaceX live-streamed final images of the ship.
Everything went as planned, with liftoff, booster and ship separation, and Starship 28 ascending to reach… – Suborbital speed exceeding 26 thousand kilometers per hour. The spacecraft began its suborbital trajectory and successfully performed two demonstrations: opening and closing the cargo compartment door and transferring liquid oxygen from the tank on the tip of the spacecraft to the main tank (NASA command for lunar missions).
Up to this point, the mission has been a complete success (if we ignore the loss of control of the Super Heavy booster after separation). On the other hand, what happened next with the spacecraft was unexpected. After flying over the Caribbean Sea and heading to the Southern Hemisphere, the spacecraft Failed to restart Raptor engine To deviate from its course and fall in a controlled manner into the Indian Ocean. As a result, it continued flying and re-entered the atmosphere due to gravity.
The best part about this glitch is that the ship broadcast its final moments live thanks to the new Starlink antennas. in Video below We can see how the ship is surrounded by plasma due to atmospheric braking. Communications were then cut off, possibly due to a malfunction in the heat shield, resulting in the ship disintegrating or sinking into the ocean in more than one piece.
This is the third flight of the fully integrated Starship rocket with its two stages, representing a significant advance over the first stage. The reliability of the Raptor's engines is no longer in doubt and there are only two phases of the flight left to be resolved: landing or jettisoning the Super Heavy and re-entering the Starship. US Federal Aviation Administration An investigation has already been opened To know the causes of malfunctions and the extent of damage.
Image | SpaceX
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