SpaceX Starship SN11 launch - As it happened: Elon Musk says Mars-bound rocket made ‘crater’
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SpaceX has completed the fourth major flight test of a Starship rocket, which appears to have ended in a huge explosion once again.
Poor weather conditions at the launch site means it is still unclear what happened, but SpaceX boss Elon Musk said “something significant happened shortly after landing burn start” that resulted in a crater.
The attempt to launch and land a Starship rocket on Tuesday from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas came less than four weeks after the last test ended in a fiery explosion.
Previous launch attempts on Friday and Monday were scrubbed - the first due to technical issues, the second as a result of an absent FAA inspector.
All three previous Starship flight test have ended in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”, as SpaceX puts it, and a successful launch and landing would have been a major step towards realising Musk’s Mars ambitions.
SpaceX posted a live stream of the event a few minutes before it took place.
Today’s flight has been scrubbed.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the delay relates to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and that another attempt will be made tomorrow.
Good morning, we’re back for another launch attempt of Starship SN11.
Cameron County has updated its public notices for local road closures around SpaceX’s Boca Chica base.
It’s a longer window than yesterday’s, and there’s a back-up window for Friday - or potentially another test?
Elon Musk has tweeted that the new attempt will take place early in the launch window, at 8am local time (2pm BST) today.
That’s just over four hours away.
There are a number of variables that can potentially scupper a Starship launch attempt: Weather, local road closures, FAA clearance, and technical issues with the craft itself.
It means it can be a frustrating wait - all for just six minutes of flight - but it’s worth it in the end.
Speaking of weather, here’s how the forecast looks in Boca Chica for todays launch window (7am - 3pm).
It’s clearer than yesterday, though the wind begins to pick up later on in the window. Hopefully SpaceX gets the test completed early on.
SpaceX has confirmed that it will reattempt the Starship SN11 high-altitude flight test today.
The firm has updated the Starship section of its websites, with today as the new target date.
Elon Musk said SpaceX aborted yesterday’s test attempt because the FAA inspector was “unable to reach Starbase in time for launch”.
No reason has been given for the inspector’s delay, leaving it up to the internet’s memelords to speculate.
Less than two hours until the launch window opens. It’s looking very foggy in Boca Chica but that should clear at 8am as the sun rises.
Clouds will remain, according to the local weather forecast, though hopefully this won’t impede our view as it reaches a high altitude.
It was a similar forecast for the SN10 flight on 3 March, and visibility remained good all the way up to the 10km apogee, so fingers crossed.
Local residents in Boca Chica Village have received evacuation notices for 7am, which is when the Starship SN11 launch window opens.
Elon Musk says the launch will then take place at 8am (2pm BST).
The launch window is officially open, and there is less than one hour until Elon Musk’s projected launch time.
While we wait, we have a report on what comes next for Starship. The last major flight test, which took place less than four weeks ago, proved to be a huge success and achieved what its predecessors could not by actually landing. However, roughly eight minutes later it performed a rapid unscheduled disassembly.
Today’s test could be the last time this generation of Starship prototypes takes to the skies, as it will then shift to SN16-SN20. For SpaceX to stick to its schedule of achieving a commercial flight in the next two years, it may prove critical that SN11’s fate is not an explosive one.
You can read the full report here:
What now for Starship after latest test explosion?
SN11 is already waiting in the wings after SN10’s fiery demise, as Musk continues relentless pursuit of creating a ‘space-faring civilisation and a multi-planet species’
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