NASA closely monitored SpaceX’s Starship rocket’s second test, and now the agency has released the footage from the event. The test took place on the company’s site on Texas’ Gulf Coast and ended abruptly when the 165-foot (50 meter) upper stage of the Starship exploded into the sky after eight minutes. During the test, the first stage, Super Heavy, with 33 Raptor engines, burned for 2.5 minutes without any issues. Additionally, the two parts of the Starship were successfully separated, which did not happen during the first mission that took place on April 20 last year. On NASA’s FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) library, new imagery of the 400-foot-tall (122 m) Starship can be found. The footage was captured by cameras on board WB-57 aircraft, high-altitude long-range planes. Unfortunately, the video does not show the stage separation or provide a clear view of the end of Starship. NASA has a vested interest in the Starship, having chosen it as the primary lunar lander for its Artemis lunar exploration program. Assuming all goes according to plan, the Starship will transport astronauts to and from the moon’s surface for the first time in 2026 as part of the Artemis 3 mission. The third flight test of the Starship is anticipated soon, with SpaceX expressing readiness to launch a large rocket this month pending approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, the FAA is still investigating the second flight’s explosion, which resulted in the destruction of both stages of the rocket.
