SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has been declared “lost” just minutes into its seventh test flight, despite its successful booster landing.
The 400-foot rocket, the largest and most powerful in the world, launched from Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday at approximately 4:40 PM local time (10:40 PM UK time). Shortly after takeoff, the booster made a planned return to the launchpad, where it was caught between two giant mechanical arms in a spectacular display, marking the second successful catch by SpaceX.
However, while the crowd cheered for the booster’s return, SpaceX reported that contact was lost with the Starship itself as its engines shut down.
A spokesperson on SpaceX’s livestream confirmed, “At this point in time, we can confirm we did lose the ship. It looks like we lost contact a little under eight and a half minutes into the flight.” Dan Huot, a SpaceX representative, expressed disappointment, stating, “It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about the ship. It will take time to analyze the data and determine what went wrong.”
The last communication received indicated that the Starship had reached an altitude of 90 miles and a velocity of 13,245 mph. This test marks a significant step in Elon Musk’s ambition to develop the first fully reusable spacecraft for human exploration of Mars. “Every Starship launch is one more step closer towards Mars,” Musk stated on X prior to liftoff.
The Starship prototype underwent extensive modifications following its sixth test flight in November. It was intended to fly across the Gulf of Mexico on a near-global loop, carrying dummy satellites for practice in deployment.
Prior to the launch, SpaceX also improved the booster catch tower, which had suffered damage during a previous test in November.
This isn’t the first time a Starship has been lost during testing; the second attempt at launching SpaceX’s mega rocket in November 2023 ended abruptly with explosions resulting in the vessel’s loss.
Credit: Sky News
