SpaceX test flight which was “destroyed” less than ten minutes after launch in January, seriously endangered several passenger aircraft while flying over the Caribbean Sea.
The seventh test flight of the Starship unmanned spacecraft was conducted by the CEO Elon MuskThe latest attempt to make life on Mars a reality came days before he launched the President's Office of Government Effectiveness. Donald Trump's White House.
Federal Aviation Administration documents now show the collateral danger the explosion posed that evening to three flights, including a JetBlue flight to San Juan whose crew were told that further travel could only be undertaken “at their own risk.”
These risks included the possible scattering of debris from the skies over the Caribbean Sea for nearly an hour.
A controller had to intervene after two planes flew too close to each other after an explosion.
The three planes carried a total of 450 people and were fortunately able to land safely after declaring a fuel emergency and flying through a temporary no-fly zone. WSJ reported.
When an air traffic controller told one of the planes' pilots that they would have to declare an emergency to land in San Juan, the response was: “In that case, we are declaring an emergency: Mayday.” May Day. May Day.'
After the rocket explosion, Musk wrote on X: “Success is uncertain, but fun is guaranteed.”
A January SpaceX test flight that was “destroyed” less than ten minutes after launch put three passenger planes flying over the Caribbean at risk.
The seventh test flight of an unmanned Starship was CEO Elon Musk's latest attempt to make life on Mars a reality.
In addition, the FAA said SpaceX failed to immediately call the official hotline required if air traffic controllers were not informed.
In Miami, controllers only heard about the debris from the explosion from the pilots who had to walk through it.
The FAA began exploring how best to deal with potential debris from the explosions in February and became more decisive after a SpaceX test vehicle exploded again in March.
However, the review was completed in March, with the FAA saying it was because their recommendations had already been implemented and they needed to travel outside the US to consult with other experts.
“The FAA will not hesitate to take action if additional safety measures are required,” the statement said.
They will have to be proactive as the agency has said it wants to conduct 200 to 400 rocket launches a year in the future, many of which could be launched by Musk's SpaceX Starship, a 400-foot-tall rocket billed as the most powerful ever built.
SpaceX declined to comment, while a JetBlue spokesman said the airline was confident flights would avoid areas where debris was spotted.
A new generation ship has been launched Texas in January and successfully flew for about eight minutes, with the teams' second breathtaking catchbefore contact was lost.
Officials confirmed that the spacecraft was destroyed.
“During the ascent, the starship underwent rapid, unscheduled disassembly. Teams will continue to analyze data from today's flight tests to better understand the root cause.” SpaceX published on X.
“Every spacecraft launch is one step closer to Mars,” Musk said before the launch, as he hopes his ships will be the first to launch humanity to life on Mars.
The next-generation craft launched from Texas in January and successfully flew for about eight minutes, completing the launch vehicle's second spectacular flight before contact was lost.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now showing the collateral threat the explosion posed that evening to three flights, including a JetBlue flight to San Juan whose crew was told they could only take it “at their own risk.”
“In such tests, success depends on what we learn, and today's flight will help us improve Starship's reliability.”
Debris unclearly associated with the spacecraft was captured on camera flying over the Caribbean Sea just minutes after the flight test.
“Every launch of a starship is another step closer to Mars“Musk said before takeoff, as he hopes his ships will be first. launch humanity into life on Mars.
SpaceX said on X that the test flight included “significant upgrades.”
The new Starship was taller—now 403 feet tall—and had about 300 tons more fuel than the last flight test ship, with additional improvements for “reliability and performance.”
SpaceX announced that there would be “upgrades to the launch and capture tower hardware to improve launch reliability of the launch vehicle,” including improvements to the protection of sensors on chopsticks damaged during the last launch.
There's also a redesigned upper stage propulsion system that can carry 25 percent more fuel, as well as thinner and redesigned forward flaps to reduce the heat impact of reentry.
The company also added ten mock-up satellites the same size as SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites for launch into space. They were supposed to follow the same flight path as the spacecraft, but were destroyed upon entry.
The report added that the flight “was aimed at attempting the first deployment test of Starship's payload, conducting several re-entry experiments aimed at capturing and reusing the vehicle, and launching and recovering a super-heavy launch vehicle.”
“Today’s flight tests will launch a new generation vehicle with significant upgrades, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, conduct several re-entry experiments aimed at capturing and reusing the vehicle, and launch and recover a super-heavy launch vehicle.”
SpaceX's last successful launch occurred in October during its fifth flight test. The sixth, witnessed by President-elect Trump in November, made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
