On a Friday afternoon in Texas, SpaceX sent its Starship into the sky on the program's fifteenth test flight, hoping to add a second triumph to the day's ambitions. The larger booster, meant to become the first version 3 to be caught by the launch tower, instead turned away from its own homecoming and was lost over the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage carried on, reached orbit, and released 26 Starlink satellites, the second time a Starship has managed such a feat. What comes next rests with that ship, which is expected to circle the Earth for a day before attempting a return to the tower it ha
SpaceX Aborts Starship Booster Catch, but Ship Reaches Orbit and Deploys 26 Starlink Satellites
The booster cancelled the catch on its own
Mark
So the headline is mixed. The ship worked, the booster didn't?
Mimi
Right. Ship 42 reached orbit and released 26 Starlink satellites, which is the main job. The booster aborted its tower catch and came down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Luke
Worth being exact about the abort. Who decided to cancel?
Mimi
The booster did, on its own, after detecting a guidance and navigation problem. That's from SpaceX commentator Dan Huot on the webcast.
Mark
And then it exploded?
Mimi
Spaceflight Now reported it exploded just before hitting the water on the backup landing.
Luke
That's one outlet's account. And nothing in the reporting says what caused the guidance fault, so we don't know yet whether it's minor or serious.
Mark
Why does this booster matter so much?
Mimi
SpaceX has caught three boosters before, but never the newer, larger version 3. This was meant to be the first.
Mark
And the ship's catch on Saturday?
Mimi
It would be a first for an upper stage, using the tower's mechanical arms. The ship is meant to orbit about 22 hours, around 14 times.
Luke
Those figures are the plan, per UPI, not a result. SpaceX can still end the flight early, so Saturday's catch is an intention, not a given.
O Pulso
- A booster meant to make history in its first tower catch cancelled its own landing after a guidance fault and broke apart over the Gulf.
- Ship 42 reached orbit and released 26 Starlink satellites, but the program's margin for error on this flight remains narrow.
- SpaceX holds the option to end the flight early and send the ship into the ocean if orbital problems emerge.
- Engineers now wait through roughly 22 hours and about 14 orbits to learn whether the ship can return to Starbase on Saturday.
- If the ship comes home, the tower's mechanical arms will attempt a first-ever catch of an upper stage.
On a Friday afternoon in Texas, SpaceX sent its Starship into the sky on the program's fifteenth test flight, hoping to add a second triumph to the day's ambitions. The larger booster, meant to become the first version 3 to be caught by the launch tower, instead turned away from its own homecoming and was lost over the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage carried on, reached orbit, and released 26 Starlink satellites, the second time a Starship has managed such a feat. What comes next rests with that ship, which is expected to circle the Earth for a day before attempting a return to the tower it has never been caught by before.
At 4:47pm local time on Friday, SpaceX launched Starship from Starbase in Texas on its fifteenth test flight. The day's plan was bold: catch the Super Heavy booster at the launch tower about six minutes after liftoff, then attempt the same with the upper stage a day later. Only the second half of that plan remains alive.
The booster never reached the tower. According to SpaceX commentator Dan Huot, it cancelled the catch on its own after detecting a guidance and navigation problem and switched to an offshore backup landing. Spaceflight Now reported that it exploded just before touching the water of the Gulf of Mexico. The loss stings more because this was meant to be the first catch of the newer, larger version 3 booster, a milestone that slipped into the sea.
The upper stage, Ship 42, performed as planned. It reached orbit and released 26 Starlink satellites, only the second orbital success for Starship after an early-ending attempt in September. Now it is designed to stay aloft about 22 hours and circle the Earth roughly 14 times, with SpaceX ready to bring it down into the ocean if trouble appears.
If all goes well, Ship 42 returns to Starbase on Saturday, where the tower's arms will try a catch never before attempted with an upper stage. The booster's failure does not decide that outcome; the ship's health in orbit will. Saturday will show whether it comes home to the tower or the flight ends early.
At 4:47pm local time on Friday, SpaceX launched Starship from Starbase in Texas on the program's 15th test flight. The plan was ambitious: bring the Super Heavy booster back to the launch tower about six minutes later, and then, a day on, do the same with the upper stage. Only the second half of that plan is still alive.
The booster never made it to the tower. According to SpaceX commentator Dan Huot, speaking on the company's webcast, it cancelled the catch on its own after detecting a guidance and navigation problem. It then switched to a backup landing offshore. Spaceflight Now reported that it exploded just before reaching the water of the Gulf of Mexico.
The abort carries added weight because of what this booster was. SpaceX has caught a Super Heavy booster three times before, but never the newer, larger version 3. Friday was meant to be that first catch, and it ended in the Gulf instead.
The upper stage, Ship 42, did what it was supposed to do. It reached orbit and released 26 Starlink satellites, as Spaceflight Now reported. This is only the second time a Starship has made it to orbit. The first orbital flight, in September, was cut short when an engine failure forced SpaceX to bring the ship down early.
This time the plan is for the ship to stay up about 22 hours and circle the Earth roughly 14 times, UPI reported. SpaceX retains the option to end the flight early and send the ship into the ocean if problems appear.
If all goes to plan, Ship 42 will return to Starbase on Saturday. There, the tower's mechanical arms will try to catch it, something SpaceX has never attempted with an upper stage. The booster's abort doesn't settle whether that attempt goes ahead; the ship's condition in orbit will. Watch Saturday for whether the ship comes home to the tower or the flight is ended early.
Citações Notáveis
The booster cancelled the catch on its own after detecting a guidance and navigation problem.— Dan Huot, SpaceX commentator, on the company webcast (paraphrased)
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