Starship's test launch faces setbacks

[UNITED STATES] Starship, SpaceX’s cutting-edge rocket vehicle that carries Elon Musk’s vision of multiplanetary travel, blasted off from Texas on Tuesday during its ninth uncrewed test flight, covering a greater distance than the two previous attempts that ended in explosive failures.

The two-stage spacecraft — the Starship vessel atop the towering Super Heavy booster — lifted off around 7:36 p.m. EDT (2336 GMT) from SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility near Brownsville on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

A live webcast from SpaceX captured the rocket’s ascent as it climbed away from the launch tower into the early evening sky, propelled by the thunderous roar of the Super Heavy’s cluster of powerful Raptor engines, surrounded by flames, exhaust clouds, and water vapor.

For the first time, SpaceX launched Starship using a previously flown Super Heavy booster, aiming to demonstrate a critical milestone in its reusability efforts. The Starship program, under development for more than a decade, embodies Elon Musk’s ambitions to revolutionize space travel by ferrying both crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and farther destinations. Its fully reusable design is key to slashing the cost of space missions and enabling frequent, sustainable launches.

Despite these lofty ambitions, the journey has been marked by numerous hurdles. Past test flights have faced engine failures and structural damage during re-entry. Nevertheless, each setback has yielded valuable data that SpaceX engineers are using to refine and enhance the spacecraft. As planned, the 232-foot (71-meter) Super Heavy booster separated from the Starship upper stage several minutes after liftoff and began its return to Earth.

However, SpaceX controllers lost telemetry contact with the booster during its descent, and it likely plunged into the ocean instead of executing the controlled splashdown SpaceX had hoped for.

This loss is a major blow, as recovering and reusing the Super Heavy booster is central to SpaceX’s strategy for cutting launch costs. Successfully reusing the first stage is essential to making space access more affordable. Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage continued its climb, reaching the intended suborbital trajectory roughly nine minutes into flight.

During the test, Starship’s payload doors failed to open to release a set of simulated satellites, highlighting the complexities of space missions where even minor malfunctions can jeopardize key mission objectives. This issue underscores the necessity of thorough testing and backup systems.

The flight was slated to last under 90 minutes, concluding with a controlled descent and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Yet, about 30 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX announced it had lost attitude control of Starship, which entered a spin as it approached re-entry. “We will not be aligned as we wanted it to be aligned for re-entry,” a SpaceX commentator said during the live broadcast. “Our chances of making it all the way down are pretty slim.”

Despite the challenges, SpaceX remains steadfast in pushing forward with the Starship program. Every test, successful or otherwise, provides crucial insights for future development. The end goal stays clear: a fully operational, reusable spacecraft capable of supporting ambitious missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.