SpaceX caught the Starship rocket’s Super Heavy booster for a second time, after it launched the upper stage into space on Thursday during a seventh test flight of the system. Soon after the successful catch, SpaceX representatives reported the ship was lost after the company lost contact about eight and half minutes into the flight.
The ship had successfully separated from the booster and had started up its own rocket engines to ascend to orbit before it appeared some of those engines gave out. The company then saw its link to the telemetry coming off of the ship disappear, and a few minutes later SpaceX confirmed that the ship had suffered an “with that upper stage” during the end of its ascent burn in space.
The company pulled off the first booster “catch” — which involves articulated arms on the launch tower snatching the rocket stage out of the air as it uses rockets to slow its descent — in October 2024. A second attempt to catch the booster in November was called off due to a communication problem.
The rocket SpaceX sent up on Thursday was upgraded in multiple ways compared to prior test flights. The company hoped to test out a number of different heat tiles on the ship section, which protect it from the forces of re-entry. The launch tower was also outfitted with radar sensors to more accurately locate the booster during the catch process.
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