Texas approves land-swapping deal with SpaceX as company hopes to expand rocket-launch operations
SpaceX is set to acquire public land from Texas after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a land-swapping deal that would cede 43 acres to entrepreneur Elon Musk's company in exchange for 477 acres that are yet to be bought.
VIDEO: SpaceX Starship sticks landing after 3rd test flight in Texas but still explodes
Elon Musk’s company is churning out Starship test vehicles in Boca Chica, Texas at the company’s facility and most recently began testing the launch and landing capabilities in daring flights. After two previous high-altitude flights of Starship prototypes ended in fiery explosions, it was Serial No. Musk tweeted in celebration of the landing but added, “RIP SN10, honorable discharge.”Starship SN10 landed in one piece! One day, the true measure of success will be that Starship flights are commonplace,” the CEO wrote. AdThese high-altitude flights and now landings are part of the plan to test SpaceX’s interplanetary transportation system.
SpaceX Starship lands upright, then explodes in latest test
In this image from video made available by SpaceX, one of the company's Starship prototypes fires its thrusters as it lands during a test in Boca Chica, Texas, on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Two previous test flights crash-landed in fireballs. The shiny bullet-shaped rocketship remained intact this time at touchdown, prompting SpaceX commentator John Insprucker to declare, “third time’s a charm as the saying goes” before SpaceX ended its webcast of the test. One day, the true measure of success will be that Starship flights are commonplace.”Musk plans to use Starships to send people to the moon and Mars. Each of these last three test flights lasted 6 1/2 minutes.
Landing evades SpaceX Starship during test flight in Texas
SpaceX Starship prototype SN9 performs an aerial flip after Raptor engine shutdown over Boca Chica, Texas on Feb. 2, 2021. The first half of the test flight went well but the spacecraft prototype exploded upon landing. (Image: SpaceX)Following a mostly successful test flight of SpaceX’s Starship over Texas Tuesday the spaceship prototype came back down for a crash landing, similar to another test the company completed last month. Previously, SpaceX performed a Starship flight or hop test on Dec. 9 with a prototype called SN8. The goal was to reach around 50,000 feet, the highest yet for any Starship test flight.
‘Mars, here we come!’ SpaceX wows with Starship’s most daring (and explosive) test flight yet
The goal was to reach around 50,000 feet, the highest yet for any Starship test flight. SpaceX's Starship SN8 explodes while landing after a high-altitude test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, on Dec. 9, 2020. After the test, Musk celebrated, tweeting “Mars, here we come! This year, SpaceX completed two low-altitude flight tests with two other Starship prototypes at its site in Boca Chica, Texas. Re-watch the SpaceX test flight below:Want more space?
SpaceX launches Starship on highest test flight, crash-lands
In this screen grab from video posted by SpaceX, the company's Starship launches for a test flight, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in a remote area of Texas. (SpaceX via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. The full-scale, stainless steel model — 160 feet (50 meters) tall and 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter — soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. The entire flight — as dramatic and flashy as it gets, even by SpaceX standards — lasted six minutes and 42 seconds. “Anybody who knows how hard this stuff is is impressed by today’s Starship test.”Two lower, shorter SpaceX test flights earlier this year from Boca Chica, Texas — a quiet coastal village before SpaceX moved in — used more rudimentary versions of Starship.
SCRUB: SpaceX high-altitude test flight of Starship SN8 delayed
With 1 second left in the countdown, SpaceX scrubbed the test flight of its latest Starship prototype spaceship from the company’s South Texas location. Around noon, SpaceX said teams were still making final preparations for the test and liftoff time was to be determined. The private space company hopes Starship can take people to distant destinations, such as the moon and Mars. The vehicle will launch up to 50,000 feet, then perform a landing flip maneuver and finally come back down to land on the spaceship prototype’s legs. This year, SpaceX completed two low-altitude flight tests with two other Starship prototypes at its site in Boca Chica, Texas.