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SpaceX’s Starship explodes during test launch minutes after rocket booster successfully caught
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight on Thursday, but the spacecraft broke apart following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad.
Elon Musk’s space company said the Starship had a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”.
The spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one during ascent, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight.
“Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause,” SpaceX said in a social media post.
“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability”.
The spacecraft was a new and upgraded model making its debut. It was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights.
A minute before the loss, SpaceX used the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms to catch the returning booster, a feat achieved only once before.
The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the pair of arms dubbed chopsticks.
‘Bummed out about the ship’
The thrill of the catch quickly turned into disappointment for not only the company, but the crowds gathered along the southern tip of Texas.
“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,” said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot. “It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle,” he added.
The last data received from the spacecraft indicated an altitude of 146 km and a velocity of more than 21,000 km/h.
Musk said a preliminary analysis suggests leaking fuel may have built up pressure in a cavity above the engine firewall.
Fire suppression will be added to the area, with increased venting and double-checking for leaks, he said via X.
It was the seventh test flight for the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket.
NASA has reserved a pair of Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. Musk’s goal is Mars.
Hours earlier in Florida, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched its New Glenn rocket on its first test flight, successfully placing an experimental satellite thousands of kilometres above Earth.
The first-stage booster, however, was destroyed, missing its targeted landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, says it has cancelled its sit at home order across the South East.
The group announced the decision in a statement on Saturday, saying it followed a directive from its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to IPOB, Kanu instructed the leadership to suspend the action in the interest of peace and the return of normal economic activities in the region.
The group said the move is aimed at easing hardship on residents and allowing businesses, schools and other daily activities to run without disruption.
IPOB urged people in the South East to go about their lawful activities. It also reaffirmed its commitment to non violence and peaceful engagement.
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Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, have k!lled a community leader and one other person in Anambra State.
The President-General of Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Ikwuka Okoye, popularly known as Anumili (pictured above), was k!lled on Friday, Feb. 6.
The attack was alleged to have been carried out by members of a rival cult group in revenge for the de@th of their leader, who was arrested and k!lled by local security operatives.
During the attack, which took place at the School Field, Ogidi, another man whose identity has yet to be ascertained was also gunned down.
The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a press statement on Saturday.
Ikenga said the incident is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.
He said, “The Anambra State Police Command regrets the murd£r of the President-General of the Ogidi community and one other person. The incident, which occurred on the evening of February 6, 2026, at the School Field, Ogidi, is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.
“Following the report, police operatives swiftly took over the scene of the incident and commenced investigations. The command is currently working with eyewitness accounts and other available intelligence to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
“The Anambra State Police Command assures members of the public that all efforts are being intensified to bring those responsible to justice.
“Residents are urged to remain calm and cooperate with the police as investigations continue.
“Further developments will be communicated in due course.”
Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.
According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.
He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.
“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.
The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said
The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.
“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said
According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.
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