TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As the most powerful rocket ever built flew higher in the sky, it suddenly burst into flames, ending the first test flight of the massive rocket. But it wasn't much of a disappointment for many — a crowd of people even cheering as the explosion played out in front of them.
Why? Because the rocket wasn't supposed to succeed. Instead, the test flight itself was intended to reveal any problems with the concept 'Starship' rocket, which stood 400 feet tall, housing 33 engines.
"I mean, the whole job of the test is to find out what goes wrong, to let things fail." Retired Commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield said. "You can pretend as long as you want, but eventually you got to go actually launch this thing and that's when you're going to really find out what's right and what's wrong. They, and they were so successful today"
Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson called the launch a "real accomplishment," getting the "big monster rocket" past even the first stage.
After the launch, SpaceX tweeted "With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today's test will help us improve starship's reliability."
With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023
See the details behind the explosion here:
SpaceX 'Starship' rocket explodes after launch
——-
Bivian Contreras is a real-time editor for KGUN 9. Bivian graduated from the University of Arizona School of Journalism with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Broadcast and is currently pursuing a degree in Broadcast Operational Meteorology. Share your story ideas and important issues with Bivian by emailing bivian.contreras@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
