SpaceX SN11 Mars rocket prototype test: “At least the crater is in the right place!”



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“At least the crater is in the right place!” Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX tweeted.
The three previous SpaceX prototypes either crashed or exploded shortly after landing.

SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, who hosted a webcast of the test launch, said SN11 had normal ascent and everything looked fine before the onboard cameras lost signal and the vehicle was absorbed in fog for a few moments. before landing. Insprucker said the company will share updates on social media once SpaceX engineers are able to view the landing site. The area surrounding the vehicle must be cleared before take off for safety reasons.

Insprucker said the company did not expect to recover video footage. “Don’t wait for the landing,” he advised viewers of the webcast.

SpaceX Mars rocket prototype nails for the first time, but explodes on a pad

Independent video broadcasters who recorded the flight also failed to capture the latter part of the flight due to the fog, but NASASpaceflight – a media site – reported that one of the media’s cameras may have been hit by rocket debris. Images of the launch pad showed that SN11 was nowhere in sight after the rocket descended.

SN11 is a first iteration of Starship, the vehicle Musk says will one day transport the first humans to Mars. It’s also the fourth prototype SpaceX has launched on a high-altitude test flight as the company works to determine how the massive vehicle will land safely after returning to Earth.

SN10, the last prototype to fly, landed vertically earlier this month, but independent footage from the event showed the vehicle exploded about three minutes later.



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