SpaceX Spaceship Explosion... A Word Left by Musk

'Half Success' for New Glenn, Launched on the Same Day as SpaceX's Failed Starship Test Flight

Starship, the spacecraft developed by SpaceX, led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, failed during its seventh test flight. On the 16th (local time), foreign media including CNN reported that SpaceX, which is developing the large launch vehicle 'Starship' aimed at lunar and Mars exploration, began the seventh test flight but it soon exploded. According to the report, at 5:37 PM (Eastern Time), the large launch vehicle Starship, developed for lunar and Mars exploration, separated from the rocket booster and exploded in midair within minutes. Due to this explosion, most of the originally planned technical tests were not carried out. A SpaceX engineer ended the live broadcast about 20 minutes after Starship's liftoff, saying, "We lost the spacecraft." Due to the falling debris from the spacecraft, airplanes suddenly had to change their routes or hold in the air.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, created SpaceX's spacecraft 'Starship,' which failed in its 7th test flight. On the 16th (local time), SpaceX began the 7th test flight of the large launch vehicle 'Starship,' developed for lunar and Mars exploration, at 5:37 PM (Eastern Time). AP Yonhap News

After the explosion, many photos and videos capturing the spacecraft exploding over the Caribbean Sea were posted on social media platforms. The videos showed fragments of the spacecraft rapidly falling while leaving red and white trails. Netizens who saw the videos reacted with comments such as "At first, I thought it was a shooting star," and "I hope no one was hit by the debris." Musk also joined in the reactions. He shared the video of the falling spacecraft debris and lightly commented, "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed." In another post on X, Musk mentioned, "There are preliminary signs of oxygen and fuel leakage from a hole above the engine firewall of the vehicle," but added, "So far, nothing has been decided except that the next launch will be postponed until after next month."

After the explosion, many photos and videos capturing the spaceship exploding over the Caribbean Sea were uploaded to social networking services (SNS). The videos posted on SNS showed spaceship debris rapidly falling, leaving red and white trails behind. X (X)

Previously, SpaceX had completed orbital flights and recovered most of the launch vehicle through six test flights by November last year. This time, they attempted several equipment upgrades but failed to achieve a successful flight like before. After the failed test flight, SpaceX stated, "The test flight reminded us that, as the name suggests, it is unpredictable," and "Communication with the Starship was lost about 8 minutes and 30 seconds after the flight started, and a fire broke out at the aft section of the spacecraft, causing it to explode." They also stated, "Debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean within the pre-agreed danger zone."

'Half Success' Achieved by Blue Origin, Rivalry in Private-led Space Exploration Market Heats Up

Meanwhile, unlike SpaceX on the same day, Blue Origin, founded by Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos, who has been a rival of Musk for over 20 years in the dream of 'space exploration,' achieved a 'half success' in the first test flight of its launch vehicle 'New Glenn.' New Glenn was originally scheduled to launch on the 10th but was postponed three times due to weather and system issues, coincidentally entering the test flight on the same day as SpaceX. Although the first-stage rocket, which was planned to be recovered by landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean for reuse, was not recovered, the second stage successfully reached the target orbit and completed the scheduled test flight safely, which was considered a significant achievement. Bezos expressed his joy by posting a video on social media showing Blue Origin employees jumping and cheering after the rocket launch.

Bezos expressed his joy by posting a video on social media showing Blue Origin employees jumping up and down and cheering after the rocket launch. Jeff Bezos X

Upon hearing the news of New Glenn's orbital insertion, Musk also congratulated via X, saying, "Congratulations on successfully reaching orbit on the first attempt." New Glenn is a reusable large rocket developed by Blue Origin since 2012. Blue Origin originally planned to launch New Glenn for the first time in 2020, but the launch was continuously delayed due to development setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. Meanwhile, SpaceX's Falcon 9 succeeded in rocket reuse in 2017 and has dominated the private space market. With New Glenn's successful orbital insertion, competition in the private space market between Falcon 9 and New Glenn is expected to intensify in the future.