On Wednesday, March 3, Starship SN10 (Serial Number 10) took off from the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica, TX. A few minutes after liftoff, the prototype reached its maximum height of 10 km before performing its belly-flop flip maneuver to coast back down to the landing pad. We screamed with excitement as Starship hovered just above the ground to come in for what looked like a soft landing.
Several minutes after landing, the rocket remained upright. SpaceX’s live feed ended, and we all rejoiced in the success of this flight test. But, those of us who watched on as we kept the cameras and livestreams rolling were treated to a giant explosion just 14 minutes and 40 seconds after liftoff. The flight test was a massive success, but now SpaceX has additional data to improve the landing procedures for the next iteration.
Relive the moment in slow-motion
Our high-speed cameras continued rolling throughout launch, landing, and the subsequent explosion minutes later. The detail visible in slow-motion and 4k quality allows us to analyze the entire landing process and the flames that eventually grew to an explosion. Meanwhile, we were on the beach conducting interviews with excited locals and tourists who were emotional over witnessing this spectacle.
