SpaceX’s Starship Spirals Out of Control During Test Flight
Launch Marred by Second Consecutive Failure
SpaceX’s Starship spiraled out of control while in space during a test flight on Thursday, marking the second launch in a row that the vehicle has run into a fatal problem on its way to orbit.
Early Progress, Then Disaster
The company launched Starship using its Super Heavy booster, and things looked normal for the first eight minutes of the flight. The ship successfully separated and headed into space, while the booster came back to the company’s launchpad in Texas, where it was caught for a third time by the launch tower. However, at around eight minutes and nine seconds into the flight, SpaceX’s broadcast graphics showed Starship lose multiple Raptor engines on the vehicle. On-board footage showed the ship starting to spiral end over end over the ocean.
Loss of Attitude Control
"We just saw some engines go out, it looks like we are losing attitude control of the ship," SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said on the broadcast. "At this point, we have lost contact with the ship."
Breakup Over the Bahamas and Dominican Republic
Footage posted to social media showed the ship breaking up over the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic a few minutes later. The company posted to X that it "immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses."
Recurring Issues with Starship
This is the second consecutive test flight that has ended in failure. The high-profile back-to-back explosions come as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has spent the last few weeks causing chaos across the U.S. federal government with his Department of Government Efficiency. That has included him deploying employees to the FAA, which oversees SpaceX’s flights.
Mishap Investigation Underway
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly halted flights into major Florida airports and appears to have diverted some others out of caution of "space launch debris." The agency told TechCrunch that it is requiring SpaceX to perform what’s known as a mishap investigation into the failure.
Previous Issues and Improvements
The company performed a mishap investigation into the previous failure, which determined that propellant was leaking inside Starship, causing fires and a communications blackout with the ship before it self-destructed. Ahead of this test flight, SpaceX said it made improvements to the lines that send fuel to Starship’s engines and changed the temperature of the propellant. It also added extra vents and "a new purge system" to better hedge against any leaks.
Conclusion
SpaceX’s Starship has experienced two consecutive failures, highlighting the challenges the company still faces in developing the vehicle. While the company continues to push forward with its test flights, it is clear that significant work remains to be done to ensure the safety and success of Starship.
FAQs
Q: What happened during the test flight?
A: Starship spiraled out of control and broke up over the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
Q: What was the cause of the failure?
A: It is unclear at this time, but the FAA is conducting a mishap investigation.
Q: How many test flights has Starship had?
A: At least 8 test flights, with the previous 7 flights experiencing issues.
Q: What is the goal of Starship?
A: The goal is to use Starship for commercial missions, with the company aiming to deploy dummy versions of its Starlink satellites during test flights.
