SpaceX carried out the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday, describing it as “the most capable” Starship to date and the only one designed to be completely reusable.
The event brought mixed outcomes for the company. While SpaceX successfully recovered the first-stage booster after its return to Earth, communication with the Starship was lost as it ascended into space.
Standing over 400 feet tall and powered by 33 Raptor engines, the rocket lifted off smoothly at 4:37 p.m. CT from the Starbase launch facility near Brownsville, Texas.
However, just minutes into the flight, ground control announced during a live broadcast that contact with the Starship had been lost.
SpaceX confirmed that several engines and telemetry data had failed, ultimately resulting in the loss of the spacecraft.
No astronauts were aboard this test flight.

The company highlighted that Thursday’s rocket featured a newly updated version of the Starship.
Although the spacecraft was lost, the super heavy first-stage booster successfully carried out a controlled descent, landing back at the launch tower where it was caught by its large robotic arms. This maneuver is considered one of the mission’s most technically demanding aspects.
Thursday’s successful booster recovery marks the second time SpaceX has managed to catch the stage booster using the launch tower.
Following the spacecraft’s loss, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would be slowing air traffic around Florida due to the potential risk of debris falling from the SpaceX launch.
Despite this setback, SpaceX remains optimistic about the Starship program’s future. Unlike the Falcon 9 rocket, which has transported satellites and astronauts to orbit with its partially reusable design, Starship is intended to be fully reusable, featuring a heat shield that can be quickly redeployed without extensive repairs.
SpaceX envisions Starship carrying larger payloads, including satellites and cargo, and supporting extended missions to the Moon and potentially Mars.
The company also plans for the system to eventually transport up to 100 people on long-duration interplanetary journeys.
Thursday’s test flight showcased an updated upper stage that included enhancements such as a better heat shield, increased propellant capacity, and advanced avionics.
SpaceX claims these updates will boost the rocket’s reliability and make it capable of tackling longer and more complex missions.
This mission, now discontinued, aimed to deploy 10 Starlink satellite simulators for the first time to demonstrate the rocket’s ability to deliver payloads into space.
The simulators were intended to be placed on a suborbital trajectory, with a splashdown scheduled in the Indian Ocean.
The flight also sought to test new materials and design improvements meant to increase the spacecraft’s heat resistance during reentry.
Before the launch, SpaceX deliberately removed some heat tiles to assess the rocket’s heat durability.
The data collected from the test flight was intended to inform further refinements in the Starship’s design for future missions.
{Matzav.com}