SpaceX launched their latest rocket today in Boca Chica, Texas. Starship SN10's launch window started at 9 AM this morning but didn't get off the ground until just after 5 PM. Like SN8 and SN9, it climbed into the sky with all three engines firing. After a couple of minutes, an engine cut out. This is normal. A minute or so later, another engine cut out. When the rocket reached 10 kilometers in altitude, the final engine cut off, the ship reoriented itself to horizontal, and plummeted earthward. At 6 minutes, all three engines fired and brought the ship vertical for a landing. Throttling back to one engine, the ship landed on the pad in exactly the way that neither SN8 nor SN9 had. Success! Amazing!
Several minutes later, the starship detonated! That blast appeared to center around the engines and launched the ship back into the air before it crashed horizontally onto the pad amid the flames of the explosion. Well, it just wouldn't be a starship landing if there wasn't a massive explosion at the end. Maybe SN11 will not only land vertically but also not explode. That is the next milestone. Not exploding is an important feature for rockets.
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