ON April 20, 2023, SpaceX‘s Starship rocket experienced a catastrophic failure during its inaugural test flight.
The Super Heavy rocket booster, which houses 33 engines, lifted off from a launch pad in South Texas, but about 2½ minutes after takeoff, it failed to separate from the Starship spacecraft, resulting in multiple engine failures during the flight test. The vehicle lost altitude before tumbling and exploding mid-air about four minutes after lift-off.
The mishap caused a significant drop in the personal fortune of Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, who is estimated to have lost nearly $13 billion following the event. Musk’s other companies, including Tesla and Neuralink, have also been affected by the events in the past 24 hours.
Despite the setback, Musk had initially described the test launch as a success, and the company plans to continue reviewing data and working toward the next flight test. The Federal Aviation Administration will oversee the investigation of the mishap, and the road and beach near the launch pad are expected to remain closed until Friday.
In light of this, no injuries or public property damage were reported.
