SpaceX’s Latest Starship Test Ends in Loss After Mid-Flight Explosion
SpaceX faced another setback with its Starship program as its latest launch on Thursday ended prematurely and exploded when the spacecraft began to spin out of control and lost communication nine minutes into the flight. The incident occurred after a successful lift-off at 6:30 p.m. ET from the Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas, using a Super Heavy booster powered by 33 Raptor engines.
The spacecraft, which had no astronauts onboard, experienced what SpaceX described as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” shortly after the engines flamed out. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated an investigation into the failure, which SpaceX attributes to an “energetic event” or explosion in the aft portion of the Starship. This catastrophic event led to the loss of several engines, causing the rocket to spin and lose communication with mission control.
Despite the loss of the Starship, the mission marked a successful return and catch of the Super Heavy booster, a critical and challenging component of the mission. The booster executed a controlled descent back to the launch tower, where it was caught by giant robotic arms, marking the third successful catch using this method.
SpaceX has planned this mission to push the capabilities of the Starship further than previous tests, including the first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments. These tests are part of SpaceX’s broader goal to make Starship a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary missions.
The company confirmed that normal flight operations at airports in Orlando, Palm Beach, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale were temporarily affected due to concerns about space launch debris. However, operations resumed shortly after.
SpaceX remains committed to its vision of interplanetary travel and is determined to address the issues from this test flight to improve future missions. As investigations proceed, the company will implement necessary corrective actions in coordination with the FAA to enhance the reliability and safety of future Starship flights.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, reuters.com