WASHINGTON, Apr 20 NASA CEO Bill Nelson tweeted to congratulate SpaceX on the Starship test launch.
Powered by 33 Raptor engines, the Starship launched in Texas for its first test flight at 4:33 p.m. ET Thursday. Minutes after launch, the rocket began spinning, the Super Heavy first stage failed to separate, and the craft, SpaceX said, experienced a «rapid unscheduled dismantlement.» The cause of the emergency is not yet known. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said a new test would be possible in a few months.
«Quick and unscheduled dismantlement»: Starship exploded shortly after launch
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«Congratulations to SpaceX on the first integrated Starship launch! Every great achievement in history has required some calculated risk, because big risk leads to big rewards,» he wrote.
«Waiting for SpaceX to share what they've learned for future test launch and in general,» Nelson wrote. The day before, during a congressional hearing, Nelson spoke about the significance of SpaceX's Starship being created for NASA's lunar and Martian program. «https://ria.ru/20230420/starship-1866692046.html» data-title=»Musk talks about plans for the next Starship test flight»>