SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure After Successful Booster Catch

The World’s Most Powerful Rocket Loses Spacecraft After Achieving First-Ever Booster Catch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended in disappointment Thursday when the spacecraft was destroyed after successfully catching its rocket booster back on the launch pad.

The new and upgraded Starship rocket, which was packed with 10 dummy satellites for practice in releasing them, broke apart after what SpaceX described as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." The spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down in sequence during ascent, with contact lost just 8 ½ minutes into the flight.

The booster, however, made a dramatic return to the pad, where SpaceX used its giant mechanical arms, affectionately known as “chopsticks,” to catch it — a feat that had been achieved only once before. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being successfully gripped by the mechanical arms.

Despite the successful booster catch, the spacecraft’s failure was a letdown for SpaceX and the spectators gathered at Boca Chica Beach in southern Texas.

“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about the ship,” SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said. “It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle.”

The last data from the spacecraft indicated it had reached an altitude of 90 miles (146 kilometers) and was traveling at a speed of 13,245 mph (21,317 kph). Elon Musk suggested that preliminary analysis indicated leaking fuel may have caused pressure to build up in the cavity above the engine firewall, which led to the spacecraft’s disintegration. Musk also mentioned that fire suppression systems would be added, along with increased venting and checks for leaks, as part of the next phase of improvements.

This was the seventh test flight of the 400-foot Starship, which SpaceX had hoped would travel across the Gulf of Mexico, on a near-loop around the world, before entering the Indian Ocean. The mission was meant to further SpaceX’s ambitions of using Starship to launch satellites and eventually carry crews to Mars.

In a separate but similar development, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company also faced a mixed result earlier on Thursday. Their new New Glenn rocket successfully reached orbit on its first try, placing an experimental satellite into space, but the first-stage booster was destroyed after failing to land on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite the setback, SpaceX remains focused on its long-term goals. The company is set to launch actual Starlink satellites on Starships and has already reserved two Starships with NASA for missions to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. Musk’s ultimate vision for Starship involves sending humans to Mars.

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