SpaceX's latest Starship test flight resulted in the loss of the upper stage shortly after takeoff from Texas, although the Super Heavy booster returned successfully. As the company investigates the cause, industry rival Blue Origin celebrates a milestone launch of its own.
SpaceX Starship Test Encounters Issues Post-Launch in Texas
SpaceX Starship Test Encounters Issues Post-Launch in Texas
The recent launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket ended in failure despite a successful booster recovery.
The latest attempt by SpaceX to test its Starship rocket ended in disappointment minutes after launching from Texas. Engineers from the company announced the loss of the upper stage due to issues that arose shortly after lift-off on Thursday. However, there was a silver lining as the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to its launchpad, generating cheers from personnel at the ground control.
This flight test coincided with the inaugural voyage of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, spearheaded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Both Musk and Bezos are vying for supremacy in the burgeoning space travel market. “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause,” SpaceX stated on X.
Social media buzzed with unverified clips purportedly showing the rocket disintegrating in the atmosphere. Spectators in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, were treated to visible trails of the fiery spectacle overhead. Musk later communicated on X that while success was elusive, the entertainment value of such tests was assured, sharing a video capturing the event. He noted that enhanced iterations of both the ship and the booster were poised for future launches.
Musk remarked that preliminary findings pointed towards an oxygen/fuel leak in an area above the engine firewall that was severe enough to breach the vent capacity. He maintained that there were no indicators that would push the next launch beyond next month. The Starship system took to the skies from Boca Chica, Texas, at 5:38 PM EST, marking its seventh test flight.
The planned separation of the Starship upper stage from the Super Heavy booster occurred almost four minutes into the mission. However, mission teams soon reported a loss of contact with the upper stage. A successful return of the booster about seven minutes after launch initiated jubilant reactions from the team, a sharp contrast to the troubles with the upper stage.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledged the occurrence of an anomaly during the flight, briefly rerouting aircraft in the vicinity of the space debris falling area. Normal operations were reinstated shortly after. Only a day prior, SpaceX succeeded in launching an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, which carried innovative lunar landers and a micro rover towards the Moon. Meanwhile, Bezos's Blue Origin also marked a significant achievement with its successful orbital launch after years of development efforts.
