A SpaceX rocket exploded dramatically just minutes after takeoff on Thursday, sending debris raining down on the surrounding area.
The huge SpaceX Starship, the largest rocket ever created, spun wildly out of control shortly after launching in Texas due to ‘a rapid unscheduled disassembly.’
No injuries or damage was reported from the unmanned ship, although wreckage was spotted falling from the sky as far away as the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory off the Florida coast.
The 123m spaceship was meant to re-enter Earth’s orbit over the Indian Ocean after a one-hour flight, although only the ship’s booster managed to land safely after the craft spun wildly out of control.
SpaceX officials said teams immediately started co-ordinating with safety officials for ‘pre-planned contingency responses’ after the craft started to lose control, and may have activated a self-destruct mechanism as a precaution.
It is the latest in a series of failed launches for the spacefaring company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, with the last explosion occurring in January.
SpaceX employee Dan Huot said: ‘Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now.’
A statement from SpaceX said that the company would review data ‘to better understand [the] root cause’ of the misfire and noted the explosion happened after the loss of ‘several’ engines.
‘As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability,’ they added.
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