After SpaceX’s Starship megarocket exploded during a test flight in January, the company had hoped for a better outcome when it attempted a launch on Thursday.
But once more, the mission was cut short after controllers lost contact with the upper-stage vehicle.
The 400-foot-tall Starship system rocketed off the launch pad at SpaceX’s Starbase site near Brownsville, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. ET for its eighth test flight.
But a little over 8 minutes in — roughly the same timing as the mishap in January — several engines appeared to cut off as the upper-stage Starship vehicle was still accelerating into space. Live video showed the craft spinning before all communication was lost.
“Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines,” SpaceX said in a statement. “This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship.”
The company said final contact with Starship was approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.
“I think it’s pretty obvious we’re not going to continue the rest of the mission today,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said on the company’s live webcast.
Shortly after the accident, temporary ground stops were ordered at airports across Florida because of “space launch debris,” including at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport.
During the explosion, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a “Debris Response Area,” which prevented planes from entering the areas where space vehicle debris was falling. The agency said normal operations have resumed.
SpaceX said any “surviving debris” would have fallen in that “Debris Response Area.” There is nothing toxic in the debris, it said, and there are no significant impacts expected for marine species or water quality.
Videos emerged on social media appearing to show the explosion and possible debris.
One X user posted footage of what looked like a ball of smoke overhead in Boynton Beach, Florida, while others in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos captured fiery streaks of debris flying across the sky.
The Turks and Caicos government said that post-incident protocols have been engaged. The government said it is in contact with the FAA, SpaceX and U.K. agency leads to confirm the position of the spacecraft and “ensure the safety and security of our Islands.”
The FAA said Thursday that it is requiring SpaceX to carry out a mishap investigation into the event.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests,” SpaceX said in its statement.
It’s not altogether uncommon for accidents to occur in the development of new rockets and spaceships, but Thursday’s setback is the second in a row for Starship.
During the system’s seventh test mission on Jan. 16, SpaceX similarly lost communication with the vehicle’s upper stage after about 8 minutes. It subsequently blew up over the Caribbean, sending dust and small pieces of debris falling over parts of Turks and Caicos. Local authorities said there were no injuries or major damage to property, however.
Debris from a recent SpaceX launch streaks across the sky over Long Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos, on Jan. 16.
After that accident, the FAA launched an investigation. Although it subsequently cleared Starship for Thursday’s test flight, the investigation is ongoing.
The FAA is one of many federal agencies the Trump administration has targeted for budget and personnel cuts. It’s unclear, though, whether workers with the Department of Government Efficiency, led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, have had a presence within the FAA’s commercial spaceflight division, which oversees private companies like SpaceX.
SpaceX said its internal investigation of the explosion found that the likeliest cause was leaking propellant that sparked “sustained fires” in a section of Starship known as the “attic,” between the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank and the rear heat shield.
The company said it had made several upgrades to the upper stage before Thursday’s launch to prevent similar fires, including adding more ventilation in the unpressurized attic.
Although the latest test flight was short-lived, it did hit one major milestone. The Super Heavy booster successfully returned to its launch site and settled onto the tower’s robotic arms. It was the third time SpaceX has demonstrated the impressive “catch” maneuver, which is a key part of its goal to make Starship a fully reusable system.
Starship, the most powerful rocket ever developed, consists of two parts: a first-stage booster known as Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft.
Thursday’s Starship test flight, like the others before it, was uncrewed. SpaceX officials have said they will most likely complete hundreds of test missions before the megarocket carries any people.
The next-generation Starship megarocket is expected to play a crucial part in NASA’s efforts to return to the moon. NASA selected SpaceX to carry astronauts to the lunar surface during its planned Artemis III mission, which is scheduled to launch in 2027. Musk has also said Starship could be used for future missions to Mars.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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