[By Guancha Observer, Lin Chenli] According to reports by Reuters and CNN (Cable News Network), on May 27th local time, SpaceX's "Starship" spacecraft conducted its ninth test flight. The first-stage booster lost control during the landing process and failed to land at sea as planned. The second stage of the rocket also disintegrated in the air after losing attitude control.

In this test flight mission, SpaceX used the same first-stage "Super Heavy" booster that was used in the seventh test flight in January. Only four out of the 33 Raptor engines were replaced in this model, which marked the company's first attempt to reuse a "Super Heavy" booster. Both the booster and the Starship will attempt to land on the sea for the first time in this test flight.

About three minutes after ignition and takeoff, the "Super Heavy" booster successfully separated from the upper "Starship" spacecraft and began returning to Earth. However, the booster exploded during descent. SpaceX personnel lost contact with it, and it ultimately crashed into the sea instead of performing a controlled splashdown as planned.

On May 27th local time, SpaceX's "Starship" spacecraft took off on its ninth test flight. SpaceX

Before landing, only 13 engines of the "Super Heavy" booster re-ignited. SpaceX stated that only two out of the three central engines re-ignited, which was a deliberately set fault aimed at allowing engineers to observe the performance of the booster under non-ideal conditions.

The "Starship" spacecraft continued to ascend into space after separation. About 9 minutes after launch, it reached the planned suborbital altitude. Due to one side door of the Starship failing to fully open, the group of simulated satellites carried on this flight could not be deployed. The spacecraft originally planned to eject eight simulated payloads, aiming to test how "Starship" would deliver functional cargo into orbit in the future.

About 30 minutes after takeoff, the "Starship" spacecraft experienced an internal leak, causing uncontrollable rotation and losing attitude control in space. It prematurely re-entered the atmosphere and disintegrated in the air. Since SpaceX lost contact with the spacecraft, it is currently unclear where the spacecraft landed and how it performed during the turbulent re-entry process.

A picture taken by one of the onboard cameras of the "Starship" after losing attitude control. SpaceX

After the test flight ended, SpaceX stated on its official X account: "If this flight test wasn't already thrilling enough, the 'Starship' experienced an unplanned rapid disintegration. The team will continue reviewing the data and preparing for the next flight test. Success comes from the experience we gain from such tests. Today's test will help us improve the reliability of the 'Starship'. SpaceX is committed to making life multi-planetary."

Musk also mentioned on the X website: "'Starship' successfully achieved the scheduled spacecraft engine shutdown, which is a significant improvement compared to the previous flight! In addition, no obvious shedding of heat-insulating tiles occurred during ascent. During cruising and re-entry, leaks caused a loss of main tank pressure. There are many good data points available for investigation."

Musk also mentioned that the rhythm of the next three "Starship" test flights will accelerate, with approximately one launch every 3 to 4 weeks.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509313807320187427/

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