Latest news with #Artemis
See - Sada Elbalad
12 hours ago
- Science
- See - Sada Elbalad
SpaceX Starship Explodes on Test Stand in Texas
Taarek Refaat An uncrewed prototype of SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded on the launch pad at the company's Starbase facility in Texas during pre-flight preparations late Wednesday, dealing another setback to Elon Musk's ambitions of interplanetary travel. A video circulating online shows a massive fireball engulfing the stainless steel rocket as it stood on the test stand, followed by towering plumes of flame and smoke lighting up the night sky. In a statement, SpaceX confirmed that the vehicle suffered a "major anomaly" during preparations for what would have been its 10th test flight. The company said no one was injured and that local residents were not at risk. The cause and full extent of the damage remain unclear, but the incident adds to a growing list of challenges facing the Starship program — a centerpiece of both NASA's Artemis initiative to return astronauts to the Moon and Musk's long-term vision of colonizing Mars. Just last month, a Starship test vehicle broke apart mid-flight after losing control due to a fuel leak — the third consecutive failure in the current phase of testing. SpaceX has yet to conduct a fully successful orbital mission of the spacecraft. Musk has repeatedly described Starship as a breakthrough platform capable of delivering satellites, cargo, and eventually humans to the Moon and Mars. He has said he plans to launch an uncrewed mission to Mars by 2026, potentially carrying autonomous Tesla-made robots as part of a precursor mission. But the repeated failures raise questions about timelines, funding priorities, and internal decision-making at SpaceX. Industry observers are watching closely to see how Musk will adjust course — both technically and strategically — to restore momentum. 'Starship is a bold engineering challenge, but delays like these signal the immense complexity of scaling up reusable deep-space transport,' said one aerospace analyst. As SpaceX races to meet NASA deadlines and fend off growing competition from rival space programs, the Starship explosion is a stark reminder of the risks inherent in pushing the frontiers of human spaceflight. read more CBE: Deposits in Local Currency Hit EGP 5.25 Trillion Morocco Plans to Spend $1 Billion to Mitigate Drought Effect Gov't Approves Final Version of State Ownership Policy Document Egypt's Economy Expected to Grow 5% by the end of 2022/23- Minister Qatar Agrees to Supply Germany with LNG for 15 Years Business Oil Prices Descend amid Anticipation of Additional US Strategic Petroleum Reserves Business Suez Canal Records $704 Million, Historically Highest Monthly Revenue Business Egypt's Stock Exchange Earns EGP 4.9 Billion on Tuesday Business Wheat delivery season commences on April 15 News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean News 3 Killed in Shooting Attack in Thailand
The Independent
a day ago
- Science
- The Independent
Elon Musk downplays SpaceX Starship explosion
Elon Musk 's SpaceX Starship rocket exploded into a massive fireball during a test flight in Texas on Wednesday night. Musk reacted to the failed test by writing "Just a scratch" on X, downplaying the incident. This explosion marks another failure for the Starship program, which aims to carry humans to the Moon and Mars, following similar test failures in May, March, and January. SpaceX stated the explosion was due to a "major anomaly" but confirmed all personnel were safe and accounted for, with no hazards to surrounding residents. The Starship program is a central project for SpaceX and is crucial to Nasa 's Artemis program.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's stunning three-word reaction to SpaceX Starship exploding in fireball
Elon Musk shared a stunning three-word reaction after his SpaceX rocket exploded into a massive fireball while being tested Wednesday night in Texas. The SpaceX owner seemed to joke about the failed test, writing, 'Just a scratch' on X after the Starship suffered a 'major anomaly' and shot up into flames, ruining yet another test for the space company. While SpaceX hopes their Starship will one day carry humans to the Moon and Mars, test flights in May, March, and January also ended in failures. The Starship program, SpaceX's central project and the most powerful rocket to date, is also crucial to NASA's Artemis program. Meanwhile, SpaceX chalked the explosion up to the rocket experiencing 'a major anomaly' just ahead of its flight test. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' the company said. SpaceX said that there are no hazards to residents in the surrounding areas; however, people are being asked to avoid the site. The company said it is working with local officials to respond to the explosion. Footage captured the 36 rocket, which was undergoing a static fire test, abruptly exploding into a dramatic fireball around 11 p.m. Wednesday night. Video from shows the rocket standing in the dock before exploding without warning, sending a wave of flames toward the cameras. It's not the first time Musk has downplayed his company's shortcomings. Following the SpaceX explosion in May, he said, 'Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!'
The Independent
a day ago
- Science
- The Independent
Elon Musk's stunning three-word reaction to SpaceX Starship exploding in fireball
Elon Musk shared a stunning three-word reaction after his SpaceX rocket exploded into a massive fireball while being tested Wednesday night in Texas. The SpaceX owner seemed to joke about the failed test, writing, 'Just a scratch' on X after the Starship suffered a 'major anomaly' and shot up into flames, ruining yet another test for the space company. While SpaceX hopes their Starship will one day carry humans to the Moon and Mars, test flights in May, March, and January also ended in failures. The Starship program, SpaceX's central project and the most powerful rocket to date, is also crucial to NASA's Artemis program. Meanwhile, SpaceX chalked the explosion up to the rocket experiencing 'a major anomaly' just ahead of its flight test. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' the company said. SpaceX said that there are no hazards to residents in the surrounding areas; however, people are being asked to avoid the site. The company said it is working with local officials to respond to the explosion. Footage captured the 36 rocket, which was undergoing a static fire test, abruptly exploding into a dramatic fireball around 11 p.m. Wednesday night. Video from shows the rocket standing in the dock before exploding without warning, sending a wave of flames toward the cameras. It's not the first time Musk has downplayed his company's shortcomings. Following the SpaceX explosion in May, he said, 'Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!'
Arab News
a day ago
- Science
- Arab News
China's rapid progress in race to the moon
China is making rapid progress with the building of a new space network called the Queqiao constellation. This system is designed to connect Earth and the moon through reliable communications, navigation and observation tools. The goal is to support future lunar missions by placing satellites and spacecraft in key positions around the moon and in space between the Earth and the moon, including areas known as Lagrange points, where gravity allows objects to stay in place more easily. This infrastructure is essential for China's plans to explore, work and even build settlements on the moon in the coming decades. China last month moved a small spacecraft named Tiandu-1 into an orbit that means it loops around Earth once for every three times the moon circles our planet. This special orbit gives it a predictable position relative to the moon over time, which helps in studying the complex pull of the gravity of both Earth and the moon. Another key satellite, Queqiao-2, was launched last year and it is already helping China prepare for future moon landings. And the satellite DRO-B has entered a different kind of orbit and is now traveling through Lagrange points. These stable zones are where space stations or satellite hubs may one day be located. In the US, the Artemis program is NASA's ambitious plan to return astronauts to the moon, establish a sustainable human presence there and use the lunar missions as a steppingstone for future Mars exploration. But Artemis has faced delays and budget uncertainties. The first uncrewed Artemis 1 mission successfully flew around the moon in 2022, but upcoming crewed missions have been pushed back. It has lately been shaped by political uncertainty and doubts over its focus. The moon objective might have regained importance in the US following the falling-out of Trump and Musk Khaled Abou Zahr The moon objective might have regained importance in the past month following the falling-out of US President Donald Trump and SpaceX's Elon Musk. Musk has been a long-time supporter of going straight to Mars and has publicly stated that moon missions are a waste of resources and time. His closeness to Trump had hence cast doubts on the moon projects. Musk's preferred nominee for NASA chief, Jared Isaacman, had also been seen as shifting national space policy in favor of Mars. It is worth noting that Isaacman had great support from the space business community. However, Trump withdrew his nomination and Musk's subsequent exit from the White House has, according to media reports, given the moon mission backers the opportunity to shift NASA's focus firmly back to lunar exploration. In the race for the moon, the outcome is not yet clear. The White House has proposed a cut to NASA's budget for fiscal year 2026, aiming to slash nearly 25 percent of the agency's funding — from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. This would be the largest single-year budget reduction in NASA's history. The most severe cuts would hit NASA's science programs, which are set to lose 47 percent of their funding, shrinking to just $3.9 billion. Such cuts threaten to cancel about a third of NASA's science projects, including high-profile missions like the Mars Sample Return, the New Horizons mission to the outer solar system and the Juno probe orbiting Jupiter. Long-running Mars orbiters such as Mars Odyssey and MAVEN, as well as NASA's contribution to the European Rosalind Franklin rover, would also face cancellation. Beyond funding, the proposal also calls for cutting NASA's workforce by about 32 percent, reducing staff from 17,391 to 11,853 employees. The proposed budget also targets the cancellation of key Artemis program components. However, the budget request is just a proposal and will require approval from Congress to take effect. Moreover, following Musk's exit, the renewed momentum for the moon also comes as the Senate Commerce Committee unveiled a $10 billion reconciliation bill to fund NASA in response to the proposed budget cuts, with much of that planned for the Artemis program. The new Senate proposal recenters toward lunar goals. China plans to build a permanent lunar base by 2035, focusing on using the moon's ice to support human missions Khaled Abou Zahr It is also worth noting that there is a business angle to this, with many of the industry's actors using it as a way to counter SpaceX's dominance of the launch and space markets and carve out a wider distribution of contracts. In 2024, SpaceX accounted for 95 percent of all US orbital launches. Moreover, once its Starship rocket becomes operational, it will be another leap for the US. This would even allow for an acceleration of space launches. Many wonder why so much focus is on the moon. But it holds importance beyond scientific research. To start with, launching rockets from the moon is generally much cheaper and more efficient in terms of fuel compared to launching from Earth. This is primarily because the moon's gravity is about one-sixth that of Earth's, so rockets need less energy to escape the surface. Moreover, on Earth, the atmospheric drag requires large amounts of fuel to reach orbit. In comparison, the Moon has no atmosphere, eliminating air resistance. Some estimates suggest that launching from the Moon could reduce fuel requirements by up to 90 percent compared to Earth launches for the same payload. Another advantage is the moon's unique environment. It offers valuable resources, such as water in the form of ice, which can be used for life support and fuel production, potentially enabling sustainable space missions. Other more adventurous objectives have been stated, such as mining rare materials and developing new industries like lunar tourism and manufacturing. Water on the moon is mostly found as ice in permanently shadowed regions near the poles, especially within craters that never receive sunlight. This is why China will focus on the moon's south pole. It plans to build a permanent lunar base there by 2035, focusing on using the moon's ice to support human missions and fuel production. Upcoming Chang'e missions will seek resources and test technologies for habitat construction. China has a focused and state-driven approach to establishing a permanent lunar presence. It seems much clearer than the US space program, especially as public debates roar in America. Yet, despite its budget challenges and political debates, the US is unleashing a vibrant private space sector, which is showing rapid innovation. Despite the technical difficulties and setbacks faced by both nations, the race for the moon is now clearly on. The first to arrive will likely benefit just as much as when the New World was discovered.
