SpaceX has performed the latest high-altitude flight test of its Mars-bound Starship spacecraft, resulting in a huge explosion upon landing.

SpaceX对其飞往火星的星际飞船进行了最新的高空飞行试验，结果在着陆时发生巨大爆炸。

The Starship SN9 prototype launched from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas on Tuesday, reaching a height of roughly 10km before belly flopping back to Earth.

星期二，太空船SN9的原型从德克萨斯州的博卡奇卡发射场发射升空，到达大约10公里的高度，然后倾覆坠落回地球。
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Before reaching the landing pad it performed a complex landing flip manoeuvre but failed to right itself properly and crashed on the landing pad.

在到达着陆平台之前，它进行了一次复杂的着陆翻转动作，但未能正确地调整自身，并在着陆平台上坠毁。

A previous attempt to launch and land a Starship prototype in December also resulted in a fiery explosion after a botched landing.

去年12月，一艘星际飞船原型机曾试图发射和着陆，但在着陆失败后也发生了激烈的爆炸。

Another attempt to launch and land a Starship prototype is expected in the near future, with SN10 already situated on a nearby launchpad.

再一次尝试发射和着陆的星际飞船原型预计在不久的将来，SN10已经位于附近的发射台。

SpaceX’s Starship SN9 exploded on landing in Boca Chica, Texas, on 2 February, 2021The Starship SN9 and SN10 prototypes at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas ahead of Tuesday’s test flight
The Starship SN9 and SN10 prototypes at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas ahead of Tuesday’s test flight
(YouTube)

”在周二的试飞之前，位于德克萨斯州的博卡奇卡的SN9 和 SN10 原型太空船。“

SpaceX emphasized both the importance and difficulty of achieving a safe landing for Starship in a post on its website ahead of Tuesday’s launch.

SpaceX在周二发射前在其网站上发表文章，强调了实现星际飞船安全着陆的重要性和难度。

“A controlled aerodynamic descent with body flaps and vertical landing capability, combined with in-space re
filling, are critical to landing Starship at destinations across the solar system where prepared surfaces or runways do not exist, and returning to Earth,” the post stated.

“可控的滑降襟翼，垂直着陆能力，太空再充能，对于需要穿行太阳系并着落在没有预设跑道或者星球表面并返回地球的星际飞船来说是至关重要的”文章中说。

“This capability will enable a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration, interplanetary flights and help humanity return to the moon, and travel to Mars and beyond.”

“这一能力将使一个完全可重复使用的运输系统能够在长时间的星际飞行中运送船员和货物，帮助人类重返月球，前往火星和更远的地方。”

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk previously stated that he hopes to manufacture up to 100 Starship crafts every year, each capable of carrying up to 100 people.

SpaceX首席执行官埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）此前表示，他希望每年制造多达100艘星际飞船，每艘飞船最多可搭载100人。

The technology billionaire has frequently spoken of his ambition to transform humanity into a multi-planetary species and hopes to send the first humans to Mars as early as 2024.

这位科技界的亿万富翁经常谈到他将人类改造成多行星物种的雄心壮志，并希望最早在2024年将第一批人类送上火星。

Tuesday’s test was only the second major high-altitude flight of a Starship craft, and despite achieving a lift-off and controlled descent, the landing attempt was not as good as SN8’s effort.

周二的测试只是星际飞船的第二次主要高空飞行，尽管实现了升空和受控下降，但着陆尝试并不如SN8的努力。

The setback is unlikely to deter Mr Musk, who last year made the development of Starship SpaceX’s “top priority”.

这一挫折不太可能阻止马斯克先生，他去年将开发太空飞船SpaceX列为“首要任务”。