SpaceX hits snag during seventh test flight as Starship destroyed after successful booster catch

SpaceX‘s latest Starship rocket test flight on Thursday ended with the spacecraft’s destruction, despite a successful booster catch at the launch pad. The company reported that the spacecraft’s six engines appeared to fail sequentially, with communication lost approximately 8 1/2 minutes into the mission.
The rocket launched from Boca Chica, Texas, near the Mexican border, aiming to soar across the Gulf of Mexico on a near-loop around the world.

SpaceX had packed the spacecraft with 10 dummy satellites for practice at releasing them.
A minute before the spacecraft’s failure, SpaceX used the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms, dubbed “chopsticks,” to catch the returning booster as it hovered over the launch pad.
The launch tower’s mechanical arms successfully caught the returning booster, which hovered above the pad before being secured by the apparatus known as chopsticks. However, the initial success quickly turned to disappointment for both the company and spectators at the southern Texas location.

Talking about the outcome of the launch, SpaceX, in a statement on X, said, “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”

SpaceX spokesperson also Dan Huot acknowledged the mixed results, stating, “It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship.” He indicated that a thorough data analysis would be necessary to determine the cause, according to the Associated Press report.
Later SpaceX owner, Elon Musk assured that better ship and boosters were already prepared for future launch. “Improved versions of the ship & booster already waiting for launch,” he said.

The last data received from the spacecraft indicated an altitude of 90 miles (146 kilometers) and a velocity of 13,245 mph (21,317 kph).
Following November’s launch damage to sensor equipment, SpaceX had reinforced the catch tower. The latest demonstration featured an upgraded spacecraft and test satellites matching Starlink specifications, all designed for controlled destruction upon re-entry.
Nasa has reserved a pair of Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade, while Musk’s ultimate goal is to reach Mars.
Earlier the same day, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched its newest supersized rocket, New Glenn, from Florida. The rocket reached orbit on its first flight, successfully placing an experimental satellite thousands of miles above Earth, but the first-stage booster was destroyed after missing its targeted landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic.