SpaceX loses spacecraft after catching rocket booster during test flight

SpaceX On Thursday it conducted the seventh flight test of its Starship launch vehicle, which the company called the “most capable” Starship yet – and the only fully reusable one.

It was a mixed bag for the aerospace giant, however, as they successfully intercepted the first stage booster on its way back to Earth, but lost communication with the spacecraft on its way to space.

The more than 400-foot rocket, powered by 33 Raptor engines, successfully lifted off at 4:37 pm CT from SpaceX’s launch pad at the Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas.

But minutes into the mission, ground control reported on a mission live stream that it had lost all communications with the spacecraft.

The company said they lost several engines and telemetry and the ship was lost.

There were no astronauts on the test flight mission.

SpaceX added that the rocket used on Thursday is a new version of Starship.

As the starship is lost, the super heavy first stage booster successfully executes a controlled descent back to the launch tower, where it is captured by the launch tower’s giant robotic arms. This is one of the most difficult aspects of the mission.

Thursday’s feat marked the second time SpaceX was able to use the launch tower to return and capture the booster on stage.

Following the loss of the spacecraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly announced that flights in and around Florida were being slowed due to the possibility of debris from the SpaceX launch.

Images of debris falling from the sky over the Turks and Caicos Islands were seen on Thursday.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to social media on Thursday to address the launch, saying there could be an oxygen or fuel leak in the cavity above the spacecraft’s engine firewall.

“Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship’s engine bulkhead, which was sufficient to pressurize above air capacity,” Musk wrote in X.

“In addition to double-checking leaks, we’re going to add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase the wind area,” added Musk.

He complained that none of the company’s findings so far would push the next launch forward next month.

sharing a video About the falling debris, Musk wrote: “Success is not certain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

Despite the loss, SpaceX has high hopes for the future of the Starship spacecraft. Unlike the Falcon 9 rocket, which has been used for years to launch satellites and astronauts into orbit with a partially reusable design, SpaceX says the Starship will be fully reusable and will eventually include a heat shield that can be quickly redesigned without significant upgrades.

SpaceX says Starship can carry larger payloads than other launch vehicles, such as satellites and payloads, and can support long-duration missions to the Moon and potentially Mars.

Additionally, the company says the launch system will eventually be able to carry 100 people on long-duration interplanetary flights.

SpaceX says the test flight included a redesigned upper stage, such as an improved heat shield, increased propellant capacity and updated avionics.

The company says the upgrades will improve the vehicle’s reliability and enable longer and more complex missions.

In the now-cancelled mission, the spacecraft planned to deploy 10 Starlink satellite simulators for the first time, testing its ability to deliver payloads into space.

The simulators were set to go on a suborbital trajectory, with a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

The mission was intended to test new materials and make design changes while re-entering the spacecraft’s heat resistance.

Before the launch, the company said it deliberately removed the heat sinks to test the vehicle’s heat resilience.

SpaceX planned to use data from the test flight to improve design for future missions.