SpaceX’s Starship Megarocket Faces Another Setback, But Booster Catch Marks Progress
SpaceX launched its eighth suborbital test flight of the Starship megarocket on Thursday, aiming to push the limits of spaceflight innovation. While the Super Heavy booster successfully landed for the first time using the launch tower’s chopstick arms, the mission was overshadowed by a familiar failure—the upper stage was lost in space once again.
Taking off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, the Starship upper stage (S34) climbed into space, only to spin out of control before losing communication and breaking apart mid-air. Debris rained back to Earth, echoing a similar fate suffered during January’s flight test.
A Major Win Amidst Setback: Successful Booster Catch
Despite the upper stage’s failure, SpaceX notched a major milestone by catching the Super Heavy booster (B15) using its launch tower arms—a crucial step toward making Starship a fully reusable rocket system. This marks a key achievement in the company’s ambitious mission to create a cost-effective, sustainable space vehicle.
“During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost,” SpaceX confirmed in a statement. “Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. We will review the data to understand the root cause and improve Starship’s reliability.”
Air Traffic Delays and Debris Response
The failure led to temporary flight groundings across multiple Florida airports, including Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activated a debris response plan. Air traffic control ensured public safety while SpaceX worked with authorities to track and manage falling debris.
Before losing contact, the Starship upper stage was supposed to coast for 40 minutes before executing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. It’s unclear if any of its planned operations—like deploying Starlink simulator payloads or reigniting a Raptor engine—were completed.
Why This Test Still Matters
This mission wasn’t just about reaching orbit; it was designed to test key technologies aimed at bringing the upper stage back for reuse. SpaceX engineers had made multiple hardware and software adjustments following January’s failure, focusing on:
- Thermal protection tests by removing heat-resistant tiles in select areas
- New metallic tile designs to enhance reentry durability
- Starship catch fittings for future recovery attempts
- Improved avionics on the booster, including a stronger flight computer and smart battery integration
Despite the Starship upper stage loss, the booster’s successful return and catch signals steady progress toward SpaceX’s vision of a fully reusable space vehicle.
What’s Next for Starship?
Elon Musk has remained silent on the latest test results, but SpaceX maintains that learning through failure is key to their approach. The next flight test will likely incorporate design improvements based on the data gathered from this mission.
“Developmental testing is unpredictable,” SpaceX said. “But by putting flight hardware in real-world conditions as frequently as possible, we accelerate learning and design improvements to bring Starship online as a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle.”
Despite the setback, each test flight brings SpaceX closer to its long-term goal—building a rocket capable of interplanetary travel. And with the booster catch now a reality, the dream of fully reusable spaceflight is inching closer to liftoff.