Following consecutive explosions, SpaceX attempted another launch of its massive rocket, Starship, on Tuesday evening. However, they failed to achieve their primary goals as the spacecraft lost stability and disintegrated.
The 403-foot rocket took off for its ninth demonstration from Starbase, which serves as SpaceX’s launching facility located at the southernmost part of Texas. This month, residents decided to form an official city.
CEO Elon Musk’s company SpaceX planned to deploy several dummy satellites after launch, but this plan was scrapped when the door wouldn’t fully open. Subsequently, the craft started spinning uncontrollably as it approached an unplanned splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” or burst apart. “Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,” the company said in an online statement.
In a tweet, Musk stated that this demonstration marked “significant progress” compared to the two prior attempts that resulted in fiery remnants falling into the Atlantic Ocean. Even though they faced another obstacle, he assured everyone of an accelerated schedule ahead, aiming to have a Starship take off roughly every three to four weeks for the subsequent trio of missions.
This marked the initial flight of one of Musk’s Starships designed for lunar and Martian missions using a reused booster. The plan did not include retrieving the booster with large poles from the launch site; rather, they aimed to push it beyond its operational boundaries. At some point during the test, communication with the booster ceased, causing it to crash into pieces in the Gulf of Mexico, even though the spaceship itself proceeded towards the Indian Ocean.
Next, the spaceship lost control, seemingly because of fuel leaks.
“Not looking too good regarding many of our on-orbit goals for today,” remarked SpaceX flight communicator Dan Huot. The firm was hoping to assess the spaceship’s heatshield through a planned atmospheric re-entry.
The communication stopped prior to the spacecraft landing, and SpaceX discontinued its webcast shortly thereafter.
The preceding pair of Starships failed to progress beyond the Caribbean region. Earlier demonstrations this year concluded mere moments after takeoff, scattering debris into the sea. Fortunately, no casualties or significant harm occurred; however, commercial flights faced disruptions. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration approved Starship for an additional test flight, broadening the danger zone and scheduling the launch outside high-traffic aviation periods.
In addition to implementing corrective measures and enhancements, SpaceX altered the thermal tiles of the newest spacecraft and added specialized capture mechanisms. Initially designed to land in the Indian Ocean, the vehicle was also equipped to be tested upon return to the launch site, similar to how they handle their rocket boosters.
NASA relies on SpaceX to achieve significant advancements within the coming year regarding Starship—the largest and strongest rocket ever constructed—to facilitate landing astronauts back on the Moon. The mission planned for next year involving four crew members will circle the Moon without touching down. A touchdown is scheduled for no earlier than 2027 and would necessitate using a Starship to transport two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and then return them safely.
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