SpaceX has successfully launched the massive Starship rocket for the eighth time, and also landed the first-stage Super Heavy booster. But in a repeat of its last flight test in January, SpaceX lost the upper-stage Starship spacecraft before it could reach its targeted landing point in the Indian Ocean.
The latest flight test of the most powerful rocket ever to fly got underway from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at about 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 7.
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/OL7moLdZ2u
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2025
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Minutes after separating from the Starship spacecraft, the Super Heavy booster returned to the launch tower where it was secured by two giant mechanical arms. This is the third time for SpaceX to achieve the feat, and allows the company to reuse the booster for future missions.
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/JFeJSdnQ5x
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2025
But an anomaly caused the spacecraft to spin out of control, ending its mission ahead of time. SpaceX has landed the Starship in the Indian Ocean before, but on its last flight in January, and now on its latest test too, the spacecraft has suffered a catastrophic failure in flight.
SpaceX issued a statement soon after Thursday’s mission ended, saying: “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. We will review the data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability.”
An investigation revealed that January’s loss was linked to unexpected vibrations that occurred during the flight. The vibrations caused extra stress on the vehicle, leading to propellant leaks and fires that eventually caused the Starship to disintegrate. It’s too early to say what went wrong in Thursday’s mission.
While SpaceX engineers will be feeling confident about their ability to bring home the Super Heavy booster, there is bound to be disappointment, if not concern, over the loss of the Starship in two consecutive missions.
NASA is hoping to use the vehicle for the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for 2027, in which a modified version of the Starship spacecraft will put the first woman and the first person of color onto the lunar surface. There is also hope that it will be used for the first crewed mission to Mars. SpaceX boss Elon Musk wants that to happen before the end of this decade, but some time in the 2030s seems more likely.