SpaceX, Elon Musk's space technology company valued at $350 billion, successfully launched its seventh test flight on Thursday—then lost it.
About 20 minutes after successfully launching the rocket at its base in Brownsville, Texas, SpaceX engineers confirmed they had lost communication with the rocket's upper stage.
"We can confirm that we did lose the ship," Kate Tice, senior manager of quality systems engineering at SpaceX, stated, according to CNN.
Had the launch gone according to plane, over the span of an hour, the rocket would have reached space and traveled halfway around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and crashing into the Indian Ocean.
In an X post, the company revealed Starship "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn."
"Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today's flight will help us improve Starship's reliability," the post read.
Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 16, 2025
With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s…
The company did successfully guide the Super Heavy rocket booster back to a landing at the launch site for the second time, another crucial step for the company to perfect as it works toward its goal of landing on the moon and Mars.
The incident occurred just hours after SpaceX rival Blue Origin successfully launched its new Glenn Rocket, a project that had been delayed for years.
Originally published by Latin Times
