SpaceX’s massive Starship took off from the company’s Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 9:25 a.m. ET on Thursday.
This test flight was much more successful than its previous two, as the vehicle became “the first Starship to complete a full ascent burn” after six Raptor engines propelled it to its intended orbit. It completed thermal stage separation from the Super Heavy booster and opened its payload door to demonstrate how it could be used for tasks such as launching Starlink satellites into orbit.
The vehicle remained intact until it lost contact with the Starship spacecraft shortly before it was expected to crash into the Indian Ocean. According to SpaceX, “The conclusion of the flight test was drawn upon entry, with the last telemetry signal received from Starship via Starlink 49 minutes after the mission began.”
Before the broadcast ended, the commentator said, “We may have lost the starship” after losing contact with the spacecraft. “So far we have received no news from the ship, so the team has called to say that the ship has been lost. So, there is no splashdown today.” SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said.
“Starship and Super Heavy are preparing for upcoming flights as we seek to increase our launch cadence throughout the year,” SpaceX wrote.
In a mission review, SpaceX confirmed the fate of the Super Heavy booster rocket after it completed the flip maneuver and boost burn to its splashdown location in the Gulf of Mexico:
Before the vehicle underwent RUD, or SpaceX’s “rapid unplanned disassembly,” Super Heavy successfully ignited multiple engines and achieved its first landing burn. The booster’s flight ended at an altitude of approximately 462 meters, less than seven minutes after mission completion.
and gave reasons for not attempting an orbital engine relight as planned:
Due to the vehicle roll rate during taxiing, Starship did not attempt to reignite the single Raptor engine in orbit as planned.
On Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the scheduled launch, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved today’s Starship test and determined that SpaceX “meets all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements.” According to Space.com, after investigating the second failed Starship test, the FAA required SpaceX to complete 17 corrective actions, involving vehicle hardware redesign, flammability analysis updates, and the installation of additional fire protection devices, which was far less than 63 corrective actions identified during the first test.
