SpaceX’s latest Starship test ended in failure as the spacecraft was lost after a successful booster catch at the launch pad
Boca Chica: So, SpaceX just had another wild ride with its Starship rocket. They launched it for a test flight, and things got a bit crazy. The spacecraft ended up getting destroyed after they managed to catch the booster back at the launch pad.
Elon Musk’s team called it a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” Sounds fancy, right? Basically, the spacecraft started breaking apart just 8 and a half minutes into the flight. They lost contact when the engines began shutting down one by one.
This was a new version of the Starship, and it was supposed to fly over the Gulf of Mexico and loop around the world. They even loaded it with 10 dummy satellites to practice releasing them. But, it didn’t get that far.
A minute before the spacecraft went down, they pulled off a cool move by catching the returning booster with these giant mechanical arms. They call them “chopsticks.” It was a sight to see, but then the excitement turned to disappointment.
SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot summed it up well: “It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about the ship.” He reminded everyone that it’s all part of the testing process.
The last data they got showed the spacecraft was at 90 miles high and zooming at 13,245 mph. Musk mentioned that they think leaking fuel might have caused some pressure issues, so they’re planning to add fire suppression and check for leaks.
The rocket took off from Boca Chica Beach, and they were hoping for a smooth flight. But, it didn’t go as planned. They had made some upgrades for this test, including adding mock satellites that were meant to be destroyed on entry.
Musk has big plans for the Starship, aiming to launch actual Starlink satellites and eventually crewed missions. This was the seventh test flight for this massive rocket, which NASA is eyeing for moon landings.
And just to keep things interesting, earlier that day, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched its own rocket, New Glenn, which successfully reached orbit. But even they had a hiccup with their booster landing.
