Starship enters space, but SpaceX loses contact; launch presumed failed
SpaceX on Saturday launched Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket in the world, on its second test flight. The lift-off happened from the company's Starbase facility in Texas. However, the launch is presumed to have failed. Space lost contact with the two-stage rocketship, launched for a 90-minute spaceflight, approximately 10 minutes after liftoff, reported a company broadcaster. The colossal rocket flew for the first time in April, but it ran into several issues and exploded mid-air shortly after launch.
Take a look at SpaceX's official post
Starship comprises 2 reusable components
Starship comprises two components: a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft, also called Starship, which sits atop the booster. When fully stacked, the Starship towers nearly 400 feet, almost 33 feet longer than the Saturn V rocket that flew astronauts to the Moon in 1969. Both of Starship's components are reusable, meaning the key hardware components will be returned to Earth to fly on future missions.
Stage separation was successful
SpaceX lost signal from spacecraft
The goal of Saturday's test flight was similar to the previous one. The Super Heavy booster successfully separated from Starship's upper stage. It was expected to return seven minutes post-launch and land in the Gulf of Mexico. However, it exploded shortly after separation. The upper Starship stage should have gone halfway around Earth, attaining orbital speed, before splashing down near Hawaii 90 minutes after launch. But SpaceX lost signal from the spacecraft after it reached an altitude of about 144km.
NASA contracts and future plans
SpaceX asserts that the Starship, with a payload capacity of up to 150 tons, can carry dozens of individuals on extended interplanetary journeys. Super Heavy can ship payloads up to 100,000kg to the low Earth orbit (LEO). NASA is banking on Starship to land astronauts on the Moon as part of Artemis 3 mission, expected to launch in 2025. However, the unsuccessful April test flight and the latest launch being presumed as a failure could adversely impact SpaceX's plans.
