2026年9月28日；更新时间：2026年9月29日 06:43（英国夏令时）世界上最大的火箭在完成首次绕地球轨道飞行后，坠入了太平洋。
28 September 2026 Updated 29 September 2026 06:43 BST The world's biggest rocket has splashed down into the Pacific Ocean after orbiting Earth for the first time.
这枚火箭从美国德克萨斯州发射升空。SpaceX公司希望它有朝一日能够将人类送上月球，因此原本计划让它完成六次绕地球的轨道飞行。然而，火箭仅完成了两次轨道飞行后，SpaceX便决定提前终止任务并将其带回地球。
After lifting off from the US state of Texas, it was hoped that SpaceX's Starship - which the company hopes will one day send people to the Moon - would complete six loops of the Earth. However the craft only managed two before SpaceX decided to end the mission early and bring it back to Earth.
火箭的两个部分都成功返回了地球：助推器坠入了墨西哥湾，而火箭的上半部分在降落过程中在太平洋上空发生了爆炸——由于火箭上没有人，因此没有人员受伤。
Both parts of the rocket were brought back to Earth: The booster splashed into the Gulf of Mexico while the top half of the rocket blew up in the Pacific Ocean after it landed - but there was no-one on board so no-one was hurt. It's the latest stage in the development of the rocket, which could also be used for future missions to Mars.
这是该火箭研发过程中的最新一次试验。这枚火箭未来也可能被用于前往火星的太空任务。
What is the SpaceX Starship? Starship is 124m tall and 9m wide. It's made up of two main parts - the spacecraft, or Ship, and the so-called Super Heavy rocket. The Ship is the very top part of the rocket.
什么是SpaceX的Starship火箭？ Starship火箭的高度为124米，宽度为9米，由两个主要部分组成：航天器（即“Ship”部分）和所谓的“Super Heavy”火箭。
SpaceX aims to make Starship completely reusable, coming back to base after launch. The rocket consists of thirty three engines which produce around 74 meganewtons of thrust - almost 700 times as powerful as a normal jet plane you might go on holiday in.
SpaceX的目标是让Starship火箭实现完全可重复使用（即每次发射后都能返回发射基地）。该火箭配备了33台发动机，能够产生约74兆牛顿的推力——这一推力几乎是普通喷气式飞机的700倍；其推力也几乎是首次将人类送上月球的“Saturn V”火箭的两倍。
It's also about twice as powerful as the Saturn V rocket which first took humanity to the Moon's surface. SpaceX says the spacecraft - which is taking part in its 14th test flight - is "the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed" and says it will eventually carry crew and cargo "to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond."
SpaceX表示，这枚正在执行第14次试飞任务的火箭是“迄今为止人类制造出的最强大的运载工具”，并称它最终将能够将载人和货物送入地球轨道、月球、火星乃至更远的地方。
Until now, all Starship flights have been suborbital meaning the capsules were high enough to reach space, but did not travel fast enough or long enough to complete a loop around the Earth.
尽管这次任务提前终止且发生了爆炸，但BBC气候与科学频道记者乔治娜·兰纳德（Georgina Rannard）认为：“总体而言，SpaceX对今天的成果一定会非常满意。”
Despite the mission ending early, and with an big explosion, BBC Climate and Science reporter Georgina Rannard says that overall "SpaceX will be absolutely delighted with how today went".
然而，此次任务的另一个目标——已成功完成——是将26颗“下一代”星链V3卫星送入轨道。
However, one of the other aims of the mission, which was successfully completed, was the delivery of 26 "next generation" Starlink V3 satellites into orbit.