2023-11-20 16:17:00
SpaceX launched the Starship rocket into space last Saturday (17), a ship that exploded along with its propellant a few minutes following takeoff in Boca Chica, Texas, at around 10:03 am (Brasília time). This is not the first time that Elon Musk’s company has exploded a prototype rocket, but it is one of the most notorious cases in the company’s history.
The affected model was equipped with a Super Heavy propellant, with 33 Raptor engines, which is one of the most powerful ever installed in a rocket. According to information, the parts separated successfully 3 minutes following the start of the mission, but the propellant exploded and the rest of the structure was unable to withstand this unexpected event.
SpaceX took a stance on what happened, confirming that the explosion was not planned, but that it had been predicted by the aerospace company’s engineers. “We knew there was a risk that the thruster wouldn’t hold up. But we’re going to take this data and figure out how to make the thruster better,” said the SpaceX presenter, during the launch broadcast.”
It appears that the Starship would have crashed north of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The reentry location has not been confirmed by the company, but professional astronomers who followed the event estimate that the crash point is between these locations. Fortunately, there are no reports of injured people or affected structures.
Photographer Jankiel Carranza of JCJ Photos was able to capture what appears to be objects from the rocket crashing into the Earth’s atmosphere near the beach in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
See below one of the photos taken by the athlete:
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