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SpaceX's Starship reached orbit after its booster exploded during a failed catch attempt, preventing the company's first attempt to recover both rocket stages.
SpaceX's Starship reached orbit Friday after the booster exploded during an attempted recovery, preventing what would have been the company's first double catch of both rocket stages.
The first-stage booster was diverted to a point offshore after liftoff from Starbase, Texas, instead of returning to the Texas pad. It fell into the Gulf of Mexico and exploded. SpaceX launch commentator Kate Tice said, "Well, that certainly isn't the news that we had hoped to hear for today," adding that it was in line with rigorous safety checks to protect the pad. No explanation was provided for what went wrong.
Despite the booster loss, the spacecraft continued on its way. Shortly after reaching orbit, Starship dropped off 26 of the company's most advanced Starlink satellites. The plan was for Starship to complete 15 laps around the world at an altitude of around 170 miles (275 kilometers) before heading back to the launch site for Saturday's attempt to be plucked in midair by mechanical arms secured to the launch tower.
This was the first attempt to capture the upgraded version of the booster that stretches 236 feet (72 meters), described as the production model for moon and Mars expeditions. It was also the first time the company attempted to catch the spacecraft, which spans 171 feet (52 meters). Together, they form the world's biggest and most powerful rocket at 407 feet (124 meters) in height.
SpaceX had already made three booster grabs at Starbase near the U.S.-Mexico border. The last test, in September, was the first to reach orbit, but SpaceX did not try to recover any of the rocket stages.
The original goal was to retrieve every single piece of the rocket for future recycling, something yet to be achieved anywhere in the world. SpaceX's Kiko Dontchev, vice president of launch, said full rocket reusability is "how you go from zero launches to 10 to 100 to 1,000 to 10,000 to 100,000." NASA is paying SpaceX billions of dollars to land Artemis astronauts on the moon with Starships.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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