SpaceX’s Starship Fails 3rd Time, Musk Blames Fuel Leak As Megarocket Explodes

New Delhi: Even as SpaceX’s Starship flight exploded during splashdown on its ninth test on Wednesday, the company’s founder Elon Musk blamed it on fuel leaks.

This is the third time in a row that Starship flight has faced issues during the test flight. The company’s last two test flights -- the seventh (January) and eighth (March) test flight -- also ended prematurely with the destruction of the aircraft. The ninth test flight of Starship -- which blasted off at about 7:36 p.m. EDT (5:06 am IST) from the company's Starbase launch site in Texas -- successfully reached orbit, flying farther than on its two previous attempts.