A SpaceX prototype Starship SN9 has exploded after crashing down on its landing pad during a high-altitude test of the vehicle from the company’s site in southern Texas on Tuesday.
Ahead of the launch, the company said the Starship would be powered by three of its Raptor engines before they shut off sequentially at a height of 10 kilometers.
The Starship was then due to land back down “under active aerodynamic control” before the engines powered back on to flip it into a vertical position for touch-down.
While the spacecraft appeared to reach altitude without a hitch, something seems to have gone wrong when it attempted to flip back into the upright position, with the vehicle ultimately smashing down onto the landing pad at a tilt.
According to the aerospace firm, the maneuver is a critical element for landing the craft “at destinations across the solar system where prepared surfaces or runways do not exist” before later returning back to Earth.
“This capability will enable a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration, interplanetary flights and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond,” SpaceX said in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s test.
In December, the Starship SN8 exploded on landing after its test flight.
The company is developing the Starships as a vehicle for carrying both humans and cargo on future missions to the moon, Mars and potentially further afield.
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