Exploded Starship: Debris on Caribbean island, investigations still ongoing
Half a month ago, a Starship exploded over the Caribbean, but not all the debris fell into the sea. An investigation has not yet been completed.
The start is still successful
(Image: SpaceX)
Two weeks after the upper stage explosion on the seventh test flight of the giant Starship rocket, the US Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that debris damaged a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands. CNN reports that debris is still being found on site. An investigation ordered by the FAA is still ongoing and so far there is no indication that US President Donald Trump's inauguration and associated changes have had any impact on this, adds Ars Technica. No Starship is allowed to take off until the investigation has been completed, and the manufacturer SpaceX may then also have to make changes.
The seventh test flight of a Starship was launched on the night of January 16-17, but after the previous successes, things did not go so well for SpaceX. A few minutes after the launch, the upper stage exploded and the colorful, glowing debris was filmed over the Turks and Caicos Islands before most of it crashed into the Atlantic. However, it quickly became clear that this did not apply to everyone. The local government therefore warned the population not to touch possible remains, but did not reach everyone in time. CNN tracked down a woman who allegedly collected and packaged over 90 kilograms of it. There had been no real support from SpaceX.
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The FAA itself banned all further Starship launches immediately after the failed test flight. However, this happened just a few days before Trump took office and because SpaceX boss Elon Musk is a particularly close confidant, it was unclear what would happen next. According to Ars Technica, however, the aviation regulator has not yet indicated that anything would change. Unlike previous failures, this time it directly affected populated areas, which is why the matter should clearly fall under the FAA's jurisdiction, Ars Technica writes. In addition, several planes had to be diverted due to the glowing debris. There have been repeated conflicts between Musk and the authority recently.
The Starship consists of the approximately 70-metre-long "Super Heavy" booster and a 50-metre-long upper stage. The world's largest rocket is designed in such a way that the spaceship and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth. The rocket is to be used for humanity's return to the moon, but SpaceX promises flights to Mars. In April 2023, a complete Starship took off for the first time, but remained intact for only minutes. Six months later, the second launch attempt was successful before the rocket exploded again. Four more followed in 2024, three of which were successful. Shortly after the failure, Musk himself claimed that there was nothing to suggest that the next launch could not be attempted in February.
(mho)
