SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the seventh time on Thursday.
The liftoff was smooth, and the company successfully caught the first-stage booster. But the upper stage didn’t survive the flight, as it was lost during ascent.
The launch took place just after 5 p.m. Eastern Time. It had been delayed multiple times last week and earlier this week due to bad weather.
Thursday’s conditions were ideal, allowing SpaceX to proceed with its mission.
A Successful Booster Catch
SpaceX had planned to attempt a catch of the first-stage booster, a feat it successfully accomplished during the fifth test flight last year.
The company skipped the catch attempt during the sixth flight due to unfavorable conditions but succeeded this time, marking its second completed catch.
@SpaceX’s full catch of the Lower Stage Booster from Starship Flight 7! pic.twitter.com/jWroQ7C60S
— TeslaMagz (@teslaxmagz) January 17, 2025
Flight Improvements and Challenges
This flight included several upgrades to the rocket and launch processes, such as a Starlink deployment simulation and changes to flap placement and avionics.
About ten minutes into the flight, the mission hit a snag when SpaceX lost contact with Starship.
Later, the company confirmed the spacecraft was destroyed during its ascent.
This marks the first failure since Starship’s second launch in 2023. SpaceX hasn’t yet explained what caused the loss.
What’s Next?
Even with the loss of Starship, the successful booster catch shows progress in SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology.
The company will likely look into what went wrong and make improvements for future launches.
We’ll keep you posted as more details come out.