SpaceX Catches Fallen Starship

SpaceX’s Mega Rocket Starship Launches for Test Flight, Loses Communication with Upper Stage

SpaceX launched the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost communication with the upper stage of the rocket that continues on into space.

The company’s webcast showed data stopped transmitting from Starship about nine minutes into the launch.

“We can confirm that we did lose the ship,” SpaceX senior manager of quality systems engineering Kate Tice said.

SpaceX said in a post on X that the ship broke up during its ascent burn and that it would “continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause.” In a later statement, the company said “initial data indicates a fire developed” near the tail end of Starship and destroyed the vehicle.

After the rocket lost communication, social media users posted photos and videos of what appeared to be fireballs in the sky near the Caribbean islands. Starship’s launch trajectory takes it due east from Texas, which means the fireballs are likely debris from the rocket breaking apart and reentering the atmosphere.

In a statement, SpaceX said that Starship debris fell “into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas.” The company establishes these potential risk areas with the Federal Aviation Administration before the launch.

The FAA issued a warning to pilots of a “dangerous area for falling debris of rocket Starship,” according to a notice. Multiple flights above the Caribbean diverted and appeared to be turning around, including commercial and cargo planes of JetBlue, Spirit, and FedEx, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

“The FAA briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where space vehicle debris was falling. Normal operations have resumed,” the regulator said in a statement.

The airlines did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. As is required for rocket launches, standard air traffic control advisories were in place. Record-breaking demand for both launches and flights means that rockets compete with planes for limited airspace, especially near Florida.

Additional Analysis

SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship booster returns to the launch pad during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

Starship launched from SpaceX’s private “Starbase” facility near Brownsville, Texas, shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET. A few minutes later, the rocket’s “Super Heavy” booster returned to land at the launch site, in SpaceX’s second successful “catch” during a flight. It did not catch the booster on the last flight.

There were no people on board the Starship flight. However, Elon Musk’s company was flying 10 “Starlink simulators” in the rocket’s payload bay and planned to attempt to deploy the satellite-like objects once in space. This would have been a key test of the rocket’s capabilities, as SpaceX needs Starship to deploy its much larger and heavier upcoming generation of Starlink satellites.

Before losing communication, Starship was set to reach space and then travel halfway around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Indian Ocean about an hour after liftoff.

As with each previous flight, SpaceX aimed to push development further by assessing additional Starship capabilities, including tests of its heatshield tiles and the trajectory of its intense reentry.

Conclusion

The Starship is critical to SpaceX’s plans, even with its $350 billion valuation and already dominant position in the space industry. Starship is both the tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched. Fully stacked on the Super Heavy booster, Starship stands 403 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter. SpaceX has flown the full Starship rocket system on six spaceflight tests so far since April 2023, at a steadily increasing cadence.

FAQs

Q: What happened to the Starship rocket during the test flight?
A: The Starship rocket lost communication with the upper stage of the rocket about nine minutes into the launch.

Q: Why did the Starship rocket break up during the ascent burn?
A: According to SpaceX, the ship broke up due to a fire that developed near the tail end of the rocket and destroyed it.

Q: Where did the Starship debris fall?
A: The Starship debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas.

Q: Did any aircraft or people get injured due to the Starship debris?
A: No, according to the FAA, there were no reports of injuries or property damage from Starship debris.