SpaceX Starship prototype again explodes after test flight

SAN FRANCISCO: A prototype of SpaceX's next generation heavy-lif t rocket Starship exploded on landing af ter a highaltitude test flight in Texas. The prototype, Starship serial number 9 (SN9), marked the completion of SpaceX's second high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from the company's site in Cameron County, Texas, on Tuesday. Similar to the high-altitude flight test of Starship serial number 8 (SN8) in December, SN9 was powered through ascent by three Raptor engines, each shutting down in sequence prior to the vehicle reaching apogee -- approximately 10 kilometres in altitude, said SpaceX. The test involved flying SN9 to an altitude of around 10 km, TechCrunch reported.