Starship meets a fiery finish close to Puerto Rico
After the profitable launch of SpaceX’s second Starship test flight on November 18, 2023, the primary stage exploded shortly after separation from the primary spacecraft. The primary stage explosion occurred over the Gulf of Mexico. Astronomers, experts, climate radar photographs, witnesses and movies recommend Starship continued its flight for a couple of minutes towards the Caribbean. Then, round eight minutes into the flight, Starship seems to have come to a fiery finish, with a reentry simply north of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In accordance with sighting studies, Starship disintegrated close to Puerto Rico round 9:15 – 9:16 a.m. AST (13:15-13:16 UTC) on Saturday.
Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Heart for Astrophysics said:
I infer an influence level within the Atlantic at about 13:19 UTC close to 65W 19N, north of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Certainly, a particles cloud was detected in NOAA climate radar knowledge at the moment and placement, confirming this evaluation.
Marco Langbroek, a satellite and orbital monitoring professional, additionally agrees that Starship seems to have reentered within the Caribbean:
(Trajectory) brings it close to the particles path north of Puerto Rico as noticed by climate radar.
And NOAA/NWS radar detected a reentering particles area close to Puerto Rico.
Radar loop of particles area from NWS San Juan radar. pic.twitter.com/IdxzVCWty6
— AnthonyCarl8610 (@ACarl8610) November 18, 2023
Eyewitness studies
One of many witnesses, a sports activities photographer, was with digicam in hand taking photos of surfers at a seaside in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Jankiel Carranza, of JCJ Photos, mentioned:
I noticed this blazing object falling from the sky from northwest to northeast. I took an image most likely close to the tip of the sighting, however the object was even brighter only a few seconds earlier than.
Carranza was in a position to seize the reentry with a digicam utilizing a 70-300mm zoom lens. His image is a exceptional one, as a result of it clearly exhibits a disintegrating object with noticeable fragmentation, leaving smaller objects or particles behind, which is attribute of a artifical object reentry, and never a pure object reminiscent of a space rock (meteor).
Finally contact, Starship was nonetheless at a 92-mile (148-km) altitude and touring at round 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kph), most likely with propulsion. Which means any trajectory deviation or altitude loss would trigger it to disintegrate by way of the environment whereas nonetheless displaying an enormous pace. This description coincides with the item seen in this video taken from Puerto Rico.
Angélica Pérez, one other witness to the occasion, mentioned:
The thing confirmed noticeable fragmentation, leaving smaller items behind the primary, vibrant and golden object.
Right here’s another video from San Juan, Puerto Rico, by Elias Sobrino Najul.
Many individuals in Puerto Rico, Anguilla and British Virgin Islands reported that they heard an explosion-like sound, and even felt a rumble, round 9:16 a.m. AST, which coincides with the time of the Starship reentry over the Caribbean.
Reentry maps
Backside line: After the launch of Starship on November 18, 2023, the spaceship appears to have triggered its self-destruct mode round 8 minutes in. Witnesses round Puerto Rico noticed what they consider to be its fiery reentry.
