This is SpaceX's dream: to launch a rocket and land it in order to reuse it.
In 2015, for the first time, Elon Musk's company had also succeeded in making his Falcon 9 take off and then, ten minutes later, in recovering the first stage of its launcher, which returned to land gently on Earth. , vertically.
But all did not go as planned, this Tuesday, during the launch of a prototype.
In the images, we see the rocket descend gently towards the ground, then explode as soon as it hits the ground, followed by huge flames and a cloud of smoke.
It is in this type of rocket that SpaceX aims to transport travelers in the coming years - in particular to allow the colonization of Mars, as imagined Elon Musk, the boss of SpaceX.
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The flight of the Starship SN9 prototype had been postponed many times in recent days.
It finally took place this Tuesday, shortly after 9 p.m., from SpaceX's launch pad in Texas.
The rocket took off without a hitch, climbed more than 10 kilometers above the ground, before returning to the surface vertically and exploding, a little more than six minutes after takeoff.
Live feed of Starship SN9 flight test → https://t.co/Hs5C53qBxb https://t.co/ioM0D5J91I
- SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 2, 2021
In December, a prototype of the same model experienced exactly the same fate.
On Twitter, Elon Musk explained at the time that one of the engines was not powerful enough to slow the speed of the rocket on landing.
Regarding the attempt on Tuesday, no explanation has yet been provided, neither by SpaceX, nor by Elon Musk, who had earlier announced to quit Twitter.
SpaceX could very soon try its hand at a new attempt: Starship SN9's twin, SN10, is already on the firing point.
The construction of other similar prototypes has already started as well.
SpaceX, which has other rockets, including Falcon 9, which should be used this year to send tourists into space, aims to make Starship the rocket of the future.
