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SpaceX’s Starship explodes during test launch minutes after rocket booster successfully caught

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SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. © Eric Gay/AP Photo
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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.

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Court orders Reno Omokri’s arrest

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Reno Omokri
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A Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the arrest and detention of Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, in connection with allegations of defamation against Dunamis Church Pastor Paul Enenche.

The court’s decision, issued on January 13, 2025, also applies to former Dunamis Church Pastor Abraham Daniel and two individuals identified as Alexander Enenche and Peter Enenche.

The remand order was granted following an ex-parte motion filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

The motion requested the detention of the accused individuals to facilitate ongoing investigations.

Presiding over the case, Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna directed that the respondents be detained until their arraignment and prosecution.

The court scheduled their next appearance for January 30, 2025.

The legal battle traces back to a petition filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Patrick O. Okolo.

The petition accused Reno Omokri, along with others, of cyberbullying, criminal defamation, spreading false information, and inciting public unrest.

Reports indicate that these accusations stem from disagreements following Pastor Abraham Daniel’s resignation from Dunamis Church.

Sources revealed that Pastor Daniel left the church after over a decade of service due to conflicts with Pastor Paul Enenche.

Following his resignation, Daniel reportedly faced threats through calls and social media.

Allegedly, these incidents culminated in a car accident, after which plainclothes officers arrested him on Pastor Enenche’s orders.

Pastor Daniel claimed he was pressured to apologize to Pastor Enenche and delete his social media posts about the church.

Despite complying, a purported gentleman’s agreement to compensate Daniel for his losses was reportedly breached, further straining relations.

The police are also investigating allegations involving Omokri, including social media posts about church matters.

The accused individuals are expected to face trial after the conclusion of the investigation.

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Salome Adaidu: Police arraign gospel singer Timilehin Ajayi for m¥rder

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The Nasarawa State Police Command has arraigned gospel singer, Timilehin Ajayi in court for murder of Salome Adaidu.

Ajayi dismembered Salome, who he claimed to be his girlfriend, when she visited him at his house in the Papalana axis at New Karshi in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The 32-year-old suspect arrived at the Nasarawa State High Court in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital on Friday, January 17. 2025.

He was arraigned on one count charge of Culpable Homicide punishable with Death, contrary to section 221 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria.

The court ordered that the suspect be remanded in a correctional facility, Lafia pending formal arraignment on a date to be assigned.

Prior to her gruesome murder, the 24-year-old victim was a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), serving at Nicon Insurance in Abuja.

Ajayi was nabbed on Sunday, January 12, while trying to dispose of the head of Salome after killing her and dismembering her body parts.

 

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Fire breaks out at one of world’s largest battery storage facilities

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A raging fire as broken out at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities in California.

A fire at a battery facility on the site of Vistra Corp’s Moss Landing power plant in Monterey County, California, prompted orders for the evacuation of places nearby, the company and county officials said on Thursday.

The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon, an official at the Monterey County Sheriff’s office said, adding that about 40 per cent of the building had been consumed as of late Thursday.

The battery energy storage facility at Moss Landing is among the largest in the world, according to Vistra’s website.

Both Vistra and the county official said that all site personnel had been evacuated and no injuries were reported.

‘There are no active fire suppression efforts going on, as the best approach, according to fire staff, is to allow the building and batteries to burn,’ according to the Monterey Sheriff official.

Eyewitness video showed flames and smoke billowing from the facility as the sky grew orange around it.

Hundreds of residents were ordered to evacuate, and part of a nearby highway was closed, local media reported.

Burning fire at the site of Vistra Corp’s power plant in Moss Landing, California, on January 16, 2025

 

The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon

 

Eyewitness videos captured smoke and flames billowing into the sky as the fire raged on

 

Authorities stated that an investigation into the fire’s cause would begin once the blaze was fully extinguished

 

Fire crews remained on site monitoring the blaze, and in the air drones were deployed to see the extent of the damage.

No fire suppression took place, it was reported, as batteries must burn out themselves with no water being used.

Authorities stated that an investigation into the fire’s cause would begin once the blaze was fully extinguished.

Vistra Corp said yesterday in a statement to KION: ‘There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site. Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.

‘Earlier this afternoon, Vistra personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant site. All site personnel were safely evacuated.

‘The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished’.

The Moss Landing site is a key facility for renewable energy storage, making the incident a setback for Vistra and its sustainability initiatives.

An adjacent Tesla battery facility was not affected by the fire, the official added.

Some roads, including the Highway 1, were closed in the affected areas.

The plant is located about 100 miles south of San Francisco and is not close to the ongoing wildfires in the southern Californian city of Los Angeles.

The state has been on alert since the Los Angeles fires started about 10 days ago and has killed at least 27 people.

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