Starship Saga: SpaceX Faces Hurdles in Latest Test Launch Adventure

The seventh test launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket encountered failure on Thursday as the upper stage of the vessel experienced a disastrous malfunction, vanishing as it ascended towards space.

SpaceX achieved partial success by successfully retrieving the enormous Super Heavy booster back at the launchpad. However, data suggested that several engines on the upper stage switched off ahead of schedule, and communication with the upper-stage vehicle, referred to as Starship, was lost approximately 8.5 minutes post-launch.

Starship is the spacecraft that Elon Musk, the founder of the company, claims will eventually transport humans to Mars. NASA is also funding SpaceX to construct a variant of the vehicle aimed at returning American astronauts to the lunar surface.

Across the first six test launches, SpaceX has confirmed its capability to send the largest rocket ever into orbit and, for the most part, return the components back to Earth undamaged. In the upcoming year, the company aims to transition “for the most part” into “consistently” and validate other functionalities.

Liftoff took place at 5:37 p.m. Eastern time from Starbase, which is SpaceX’s launch facility located in southern Texas.

After completing its task of propelling the rocket through the densest part of the atmosphere, the booster released and proceeded back towards the launchpad. It was then effectively captured by two robotic arms on the launch tower.

Shortly thereafter, complications arose with the upper-stage spacecraft.

“That indicates we had an anomaly with the upper stage,” commented Dan Huot, one of the presenters on SpaceX’s live stream. “We are presuming the vehicle has been lost.”

The upper-stage spacecraft was intended to descend into the Indian Ocean roughly one hour following launch.

What is Starship?

The Starship rocket system is the largest ever constructed — 403 feet in height, which is nearly 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, including its pedestal.

Furthermore, it boasts the highest number of engines ever housed in a rocket booster: The Super Heavy booster — the lower section of the rocket — encompasses 33 of SpaceX’s robust Raptor engines protruding from its base. As these engines lift Starship off the South Texas launchpad, they will produce 16 million pounds of thrust at maximum power.

The upper section, also known as Starship or Ship for brevity, resembles a gleaming rocket from a 1950s science fiction film and is constructed from stainless steel featuring large fins. This is the upper stage destined for orbit, which could eventually transport individuals to the moon or even Mars.

What transpired during the previous flight?

President-elect Donald J. Trump observed the sixth test flight on Nov. 19, meeting with Mr. Musk in the launch control room. The upper Starship traveled on a suborbital path around half of the globe, successfully re-entered the atmosphere, and executed a landing maneuver, rotating to a vertical orientation before gently splashing down in the Indian Ocean about an hour after liftoff.

As expected, it then toppled and detonated.

The booster also successfully re-entered the atmosphere. However, plans to capture it — a feat achieved by SpaceX during the fifth test flight — were aborted after sensors on the mechanical arms sustained damage during launch. The booster was redirected to the Gulf of Mexico.

What’s distinct about the seventh flight?

Major design modifications were implemented for the Starship during this seventh test flight, specifically in the propulsion, heat shield, and control systems. The rocket was elongated several feet taller than its predecessors — allowing for larger tanks that can contain 25 percent more propellant. The flaps near the top of Starship were reduced in size and repositioned towards the tip to minimize damage from the intense heat of re-entry.

While in space, Starship was to trial a new system that bears some resemblance to a PEZ candy dispenser. It would have released 10 dummy satellites similar in size and shape to the next-generation spacecraft intended for deployment in SpaceX’s Starlink internet service. The dummy satellites were set to follow Starship’s course and burn up in the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.

When will Starship be capable of transporting individuals to space?

The evident setback on Thursday will delay SpaceX’s aggressively ambitious development timeline.

Even prior to the failure, it could have taken a couple of years at the least to be prepared for crewed missions. NASA is planning to utilize a version of Starship to ferry astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s surface during its Artemis III mission, currently projected for 2027.

Jared Isaacman, the wealthy founder of Shift4, a payment services company who has previously flown to space twice on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, was to participate in the inaugural crewed flight of Starship. However, as he has now been designated by Mr. Trump as the forthcoming administrator of NASA, Mr. Isaacman is likely to remain on the ground, at least for the time being.