SpaceX Starship Rocket ‘Fails’ Shortly After Booster Successfully Lands | Science, Climate & Tech News
SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has gone “missing” just minutes after its seventh test flight.
The 400-foot rocket, recognized as the largest and most powerful rocket in the world, lifted off from Boca Chica, South Texas, on Thursday at approximately 4:40 PM local time (10:40 PM in the UK).
Shortly following the launch, the booster successfully returned to the ground and was captured between two enormous mechanical arms.
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As onlookers celebrated the successful booster capture, SpaceX reported that it had lost communication with Starship due to a possible failure in space.
A host on SpaceX’s livestream later stated, “At this point in time, we can confirm we did lose the ship.”
“It appears we lost contact a little under eight and a half minutes into the flight.”
This flight represented the seventh test run of the newly upgraded Starship, advancing Elon Musk’s goal of creating the first fully reusable spacecraft designed to transport humans to Mars.
The Starship had seen significant enhancements since its sixth test flight in November and was set to deploy dummy satellites in space for the first time.
