SpaceX Starship launches but breaks up early

SpaceX launched its Starship spacecraft Thursday morning, but not without complications.

The uncrewed rocket successfully lifted off in a plume of smoke, clearing the pad and beach on a nominal flight path. The NY Times tracked the progress, reporting the rocket made it past max-q, which is a period of maximum dynamic pressure, before some engines appeared to go out and the rocket began to spin. SpaceX said the rocket then experienced “rapid unscheduled disassembly” before the stage separation.

While the apparent explosion may seem like a major setback, the successful lift-off and test flight will give the team much-needed data to make necessary improvements. SpaceX tweeted that a test like this will derive success from what can be learned and give the team data and real experiences to build on for the next test.

The initial launch was scheduled for Monday but was postponed due to fuel issues. Elon Musk tweeted that a pressurant valve was frozen, preventing the launch. The Thursday launch began successfully, taking off and lasting only a few minutes in the sky before coming apart. 

The goal is for the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket to become a fully reusable transportation system, used to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars. As the world’s most powerful launch vehicle, it is capable of carrying up to 150 metric tons fully reusable and 250 metric tons expendable.

The development and testing of the Starship is taking place at Starbase, the world’s first commercial spaceport designed for orbital missions. Starbase is located in Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico and acts as one of four active launch sites in the U.S. operated by SpaceX. SpaceX has been performing multiple sub-orbital test flights for the Starship from Starbase since 2020.

The rocket measures 394 feet and has a 29.5-foot diameter collectively. The Starship aircraft is the second stage, measuring 164 feet with the same diameter, with a propellant capacity of 1,200 tons, thrust is 1,500 tf and payload capacity is 100-150 tons. The Super Heavy booster is the first stage, measuring 226 feet, with a propellant capacity of 3,400 tons and a thrust of 7,590 tf. The engines are only 4.2 feet in diameter and 10.2 feet tall, with a thrust of 239 tf.

On Wednesday, Falcon 9 launched 21 second-generation Starlink satellites to a low-Earth orbit, acting as the eighth launch for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster. SpaceX has run many successful missions, bringing the organization closer to placing humans on Mars.

With organizations like SpaceX and NASA pushing boundaries above the Earth’s orbit and working toward putting people on a different planet, the FAA stepped in to make sure the national airspace system was safe for all varieties of flight. The FAA hopes to mitigate the impact of increased operations with a new set of factors to use when deciding whether or not a space operation will proceed or find an alternative plan.

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This recent test ended with a bang, bringing the cheering crowds and SpaceX workers excitement and awe at the immense possibilities it brings with it.