Engine shut down
Launch aborted at the last second: Elon Musk’s SpaceX prototype has to stay on the ground
– This “Starship” prototype was to be sent to an altitude of 12.5 kilometers for the first time on Tuesday. But 1.3 seconds before the start had to be canceled. © SpaceX / AFP
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Small setback for SpaceX boss Elon Musk. On Tuesday the test of a “Starship” prototype had to be stopped 1.3 seconds before the start in Florida. The missile should soar 12.5 kilometers into the sky.
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Just 1.3 seconds before take-off, a problem with the engine led to a test of the new rocket from space company SpaceX being canceled. The attempt, in which the “Starship” prototype with the serial number 8 should rise to a height of around 12.5 kilometers, should be made up in the coming days. In the previous tests, the prototypes were only shot up to around 150 meters. The aim of the experiments is to test individual elements of the new rocket. According to plans by SpaceX boss Elon Musk, “Starship” will someday transport cargo and people to the moon and Mars.
SpaceX tweeted: engine shut down automatically
The cancellation on Tuesday was triggered by the automatic shutdown of the rocket’s engine, as SpaceX announced on Twitter. Musk wants to make “Starship” completely reusable. In the current “Falcon” rockets from SpaceX, only part of the steps land back on earth to be used again.
SpaceX is developing and testing the missiles in Texas. Musk announced in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that this was one of the reasons why he had moved there from Los Angeles. In addition, the electric car manufacturer Tesla, whose boss is also Musk, is currently building a new factory in Texas. The pick-up “Cybertruck” and the company’s electric semi-trailer are to be built there.
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