SpaceX
SpaceX's SN8 exploded while landing during a high-altitude flight test in December last year. Credit: Ron Frazier.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) has announced that its Starship Serial Number 9 (SN9) prototype rocket exploded during landing flip manoeuvre.

Starship SN9 is designed to fly as high as 10km, or approximately 32,800ft altitude. It was launched from the company’s site in Cameron County, Texas, US.

Developed by SpaceX, the vehicle was a test model of the heavy-lift rocket that can carry humans and 100t of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.

In December last year, SpaceX’s Starship serial number 8 (SN8) prototype rocket exploded while landing during a high-altitude flight test after it successfully launched from SpaceX’s Cameron County launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, US.

SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker said: “As you can see from the scene, we had, again, another great flight up to the 10km apogee. We’ve just got to work on that landing a little bit.”

Despite experiencing the same fate as fate as SN8, SpaceX considers the test flight as a step forward in the rocket’s development.

Insprucker added: “We’ve got a lot of good data, and [achieved] the primary objective to demonstrate control of the vehicle and the subsonic re-entry.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that it would initiate an investigation into the explosive landing, just as it did when the SN8 flight did not go as planned.

In an emailed statement, FAA spokesperson said: “The FAA’s top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is ensuring that operations are safe, even if there is an anomaly.

“Although this was an uncrewed test flight, the investigation will identify the root cause of today’s mishap and possible opportunities to further enhance safety as the programme develops.”

The company is preparing for two Falcon 9 launches of Starlink satellites on 4 February, depending on range acceptance and recovery weather conditions.