An unmanned vehicle operated by SpaceX exploded during a test flight on Thursday, 16th, temporarily halting air traffic as pieces of the spacecraft streaked across the sky.
SpaceX launched the Starship rocket from a base in Texas shortly after 5:30 pm local time. The spacecraft separated from the booster shortly after liftoff, as designed, but then exploded, according to a live broadcast of the mission.
Shortly after the disintegration, social media users began posting videos of what appeared to be parts of the spacecraft burning in the sky. The company’s founder and president, Elon Musk, republished one of the videos, with the following comment: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”.
Musk said initial data indicated a leak as the cause of the explosion. SpaceX reported that a fire started in the rear of the vehicle, causing it to disintegrate and fall into pre-defined risk areas in the Atlantic Ocean. The company also said it would review the test data to better understand the cause of the mishap.
The explosion caused aircraft flying in the Caribbean region to hold their positions or divert to other routes to avoid any potential spacecraft wreckage, according to Flightradar24, an aviation tracking service. Departures from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport faced delays following the spacecraft incident, according to notices posted on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.
