Daredevil killed in homemade rocket crash

WASHINGTON: A daredevil pilot who believed the Earth was flat has been killed after his homemade rocket crashed shortly after takeoff in California.

“Mad” Mike Hughes, who hoped to prove the Earth was flat by going into space, died on Saturday near Barstow, California, after attempting to launch his steam-powered rocket for a new television series called Homemade Astronauts on the US Science Channel.

In a statement, the Science Channel said: “Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey.”

A video of the launch, posted by a witness on Twitter, shows a parachute trailing behind the rocket immediately after take-off.

The rocket is then depicted hurtling down to earth before crashing into the desert.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said its officers responded to a fatal rocket crash on Saturday afternoon, but did not name the deceased.

With the help of his partner Waldo Stakes, Hughes wanted to reach 5,000 feet in his rocket, according to Space.com.

The website added that the pair was one of three teams who were trying to reach the Karman line, which, at 99 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, is thought by some to mark the start of space.

In a trailer filmed by the Science Channel ahead of the launch, Hughes had said: “People ask me why I do stuff like this. Basically, it’s just to convince people they can do things extraordinary with their lives.”

Hughes, with the help of his assistants, built the rocket in his backyard, at a cost of around $18,000 (£14,000).

The rocket uses steam ejected through a nozzle for propulsion.

Separately, it was reported that Elon Musk-run Spacex is aiming to raise around $250 million in new funding that would bring the rocket launch company’s valuation to $36 billion.

The fundraising comes as Spacex continues development on three important programmes: Crew Dragon, Starlink and Starship, reported CNBC.

The company raised $1.33 billion during 2019 and has raised more than $3 billion in funding to date.

The new round of funding could close sometime in the middle of next month.

Spacex has received a $3.1 billion contract award as part of Nasa commercial crew programme. It charges its customers nearly $60 million per launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets and had 13 such launches in 2019.