Elon Musk's company's spaceship explodes in mid-sky

    Anh Vũ |

    SpaceX's Starship spacecraft suffered a serious problem during a flight test on the evening of January 16 (local time).

    Just minutes after launching from a facility in Texas (USA), the Starship spacecraft exploded, forcing commercial flights over the Gulf of Mexico to change their routes to avoid debris.

    According to information from SpaceX, the Starship, the latest upgraded version with a height increased by more than 2 meters compared to the old version, exploded while carrying the first batch of test satellites and without a crew.

    According to Reuters, just 8 minutes after takeoff, the control center lost contact with the ship. Dan Huot, SpaceX's communications manager, confirmed that this was an unusual incident on the spacecraft's upper stage.

    Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, shared on social media that the initial cause of the explosion could be a liquid oxygen leak in the fuel system, leading to excessive pressure and causing the ship to rupture.

    The incident caused major disruption to the aviation industry. According to flight tracking site FlightRadar24, dozens of commercial flights were diverted or delayed to ensure safety.

    Major airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale also reported average delays of up to 45 minutes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it had set up temporary flight restrictions to deal with the debris before resuming normal operations.

    While SpaceX is known for its experimental approach to testing its technical limits, the explosion is still a significant setback for the development of Starship, a spacecraft that is expected to carry humans and cargo to Mars and deploy large-scale satellites into Earth orbit.

    Despite the incident occurring during a phase that SpaceX has successfully completed in the past, Elon Musk remains optimistic about the ability to continue testing. He stated that there is no reason to delay the next launch scheduled for next month.

    However, the US Federal Aviation Administration may open an investigation and temporarily suspend Starship flights to ensure safety, especially when it needs to determine whether the debris fell into a densely populated area or outside the predetermined danger zone.

    This is the seventh test of Starship since 2023, part of SpaceX's multi-billion dollar project to realize its ambition to conquer space. However, this incident poses many challenges to SpaceX's goal of conducting at least 12 tests this year.

    Anh Vũ
    TIN LIÊN QUAN

    NASA spacecraft sets record close to the Sun

    |

    NASA's Parker probe just set a new record by getting closer to the Sun than ever before.

    Parker Solar Probe will be the closest human spacecraft to the Sun. Photo: NASA

    The first spacecraft to fly into the Sun

    |

    The Parker Solar Probe will make its closest flyby of the Sun's atmosphere on Christmas Eve, opening up opportunities to learn about the origins of the solar wind.

    Close-up of Russian spacecraft leaving ISS space station

    |

    The spacecraft carrying NASA and Roscosmos astronauts has separated from the International Space Station before returning to Earth on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft.

    New direction of the Prime Minister on high school graduation exams and primary admissions

    |

    On May 8, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 58/CD-TTg on organizing the high school graduation exam and entrance exams for general education in 2025.

    Vietcombank injected nearly VND28,000 billion in charter capital. Photo: VCB.

    Vietcombank injected nearly VND28,000 billion in charter capital, far exceeding BIDV and VietinBank

    |

    Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank - code VCB) has just announced unusual information about amending the charter capital content in the Banking Charter.

    Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quoc Hung delivered a concluding speech at the conference to disseminate the policies and orientations for amending and supplementing a number of articles of the 2013 Constitution. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

    Commenting via VNeID, 99% of people approve of amending the Constitution

    |

    Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quoc Hung requested the Directors of the Provincial and Municipal Public Security to direct the Commune Public Security to mobilize and guide people to contribute ideas to amend and supplement the Constitution.

    Foreign tourists experience robot-made coffee. Photo: Hoang Hue

    Experience a coffee shop made and served by robots

    |

    Many customers, especially foreigners, have had an interesting experience at a coffee shop with robots making coffee, serving, taking photos and writing calligraphy.

    The waiting area for flights at Tan Son Nhat T3 terminal. Photo: Minh Quan

    The reason why the newly inaugurated modern Tan Son Nhat T3 terminal has leaked

    |

    HCMC - During the heavy rain on the afternoon of May 7, Tan Son Nhat T3 terminal encountered a water leak in the waiting area at the departure gate, surprising many passengers.

    NASA spacecraft sets record close to the Sun

    Anh Vũ |

    NASA's Parker probe just set a new record by getting closer to the Sun than ever before.

    The first spacecraft to fly into the Sun

    Anh Vũ |

    The Parker Solar Probe will make its closest flyby of the Sun's atmosphere on Christmas Eve, opening up opportunities to learn about the origins of the solar wind.

    Close-up of Russian spacecraft leaving ISS space station

    Anh Vũ (Nguồn: NASA) |

    The spacecraft carrying NASA and Roscosmos astronauts has separated from the International Space Station before returning to Earth on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft.