Los Angele [US], January 18: SpaceX launched the seventh test flight of its giant Starship rocket on Thursday, but its spacecraft experienced "rapid unscheduled disassembly" shortly after launch, according to initial review of the company.
Starship took off from the company's Starbase facility near Brownsville in the U.S. state of Texas at about 4:37 p.m. Thursday Central Time.
Shortly after the launch, Starship's Raptor engines ignited during hot-staging separation. The rocket's Super Heavy booster successfully returned to launch site, and repeated "chopsticks" catch -- catching the returning booster using mechanical "chopsticks," called "Mechazilla," on the launch tower.
But the Starship spacecraft lost communication with ground.
SpaceX said that at launch, all 33 Raptor engines powered the Super Heavy booster and Starship on a nominal ascent.
Following a successful hot-stage separation, Super Heavy then relit all 13 planned middle ring and center Raptor engines and performed its landing burn.
The landing burn slowed Super Heavy down and maneuvered itself to the launch and catch tower arms, resulting in the second successful catch of a Super Heavy booster, according to SpaceX.
Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage successfully lit all six Raptor engines and performed its ascent burn to space.
Prior to the burn's completion, telemetry was lost with the vehicle after approximately eight and a half minutes of flight, according to SpaceX.
Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," said SpaceX.
Starship flew within its designated launch corridor. Any surviving pieces of debris would have fallen into the designated hazard area, said the company.
Starship plays a key role in NASA. It is the vehicle that NASA selected to carry astronauts on the final leg of their trip to the moon during a mission called Artemis III, currently planned for 2026.
Source: Xinhua