SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again today but things didn't go exactly as planned. It lifted off from Starbase, Texas at 4:07 am IST and successfully cleared the launch pad. SpaceX was even able to catch the 232-feet-tall Super Heavy Booster using the launch tower, just like it did on flight 5, but lost contact with the rocket's upper stage.
The upper stage went offline under nine minutes post launch, reason for which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on X.
A few minutes after losing communication, debris from the upper stage which had many upgrades for this mission rained down from the sky as it underwent a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' (explosion). With the explosion were destroyed 10 dummy Starlink satellites that the upper stage was supposed to deploy in orbit.
SpaceX's plan included the upper stage called Ship or Starship flying on a trajectory half-way across the world and splashdown in the Indian Ocean over an hour after launch. The dummy satellites would have also dived into the ocean.
During the live telecast, SpaceX's communication team said that Ship's six Raptor engines started dropping out on telemetry after the ascent burn which went well.
In a post on X, Musk said that according to preliminary investigation, there was "a fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity."
"Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month," he added.
The billionaire also reposted a video of Ship's debris rain with a caption, "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" He also said that improved versions of the Ship and Booster are already waiting for launch.
ALSO SEE: SpaceX Successfully Launched Starship But Didn't Catch The Booster This Time; Here's Why
Despite the hiccup, NASA seemed somewhat satisfied with the results. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX after the Booster catch while acknowledging the challenges of spaceflight.
"Congrats to SpaceX on Starship's seventh test flight and the second successful booster catch. Spaceflight is not easy. It's anything but routine. That's why these tests are so important -- each one bringing us closer on our path to the Moon and onward to Mars through Artemis," Nelson wrote.
Notably, SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin are two companies that NASA has chosen to build lunar landers to take astronauts back to the Moon under the Artemis Program.
ALSO SEE: Watch SpaceX Catch First Starship Booster Using A Tower And Get Your Mind Blown!
(Image: X@JohnKraus)