SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7: Upper Stage Loss but Successful Booster Capture with Tower

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SpaceX Achieves Milestone with Super Heavy Booster Catch

SpaceX recently made a significant advancement in space exploration as it successfully caught the Super Heavy booster, standing at 232 feet tall, using its launch tower during Starship Flight 7. The launch occurred from Boca Chica, Texas, earlier today, with the booster captured nearly seven minutes post-launch. However, this momentous catch was somewhat overshadowed by complications that followed, particularly the loss of data from the upper stage of the Starship spacecraft.

Critical Loss of Data in the Upper Stage

Approximately eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the upper stage of the Starship lost contact while it was traveling at a speed of 21,317 kilometers per hour and at an altitude of 146 kilometers. During the subsequent eight minutes, SpaceX’s team worked diligently to regain communication with the craft, ultimately confirming that contact was indeed lost, presumably while the vehicle was en route to the Indian Ocean.

Evaluation of Engine Performance

For this test, SpaceX reused one rocket engine for the first stage, which appeared to operate effectively during the ascent. However, issues arose during the engine reignition for the boost back burn, where one engine seemingly malfunctioned. Nonetheless, the center engines performed as expected during the landing burn, allowing for a successful tower catch.

Unexpected Challenges with the Second Stage

The second stage of the Starship, designed with numerous upgrades, including enhancements to its upper flaps, propulsion system, flight controls, and tanks, was anticipated to perform well. The loss of this stage was surprising, particularly given its strong performance in prior flights, which often featured captivating visuals as the stage reentered the atmosphere, glowing red hot amidst plasma.

Impact on Future Missions

Following the flight, SpaceX officially reported the loss of the upper stage at the eight and a half minute mark coinciding with engine cutoff. This event signals a subdued conclusion to the first Starship test flight of 2025 and could potentially delay subsequent tests planned by SpaceX.

The latest iteration of the second stage was crafted with several improvements, raising questions about whether a propulsion system anomaly caused the vehicle’s loss at engine shutdown. Additionally, SpaceX aimed to assess the rocket’s atmospheric reentry capabilities to inform future tower catch attempts.

Future Implications and Licensing Challenges

Elon Musk’s comments suggested that a successful splashdown could pave the way for a tower catch on the next mission, Flight 8. However, with the vehicle’s premature loss, this possibility now seems improbable, as SpaceX will need to meticulously review the data from this flight to guide its plans for future endeavors. Furthermore, the repercussions of today’s incident might extend the licensing approval timeline for upcoming flights, particularly if the associated causes for failure are found to exceed the parameters previously discussed with the FAA.

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