In the realm of space exploration, we're still very much just pioneers. And so it should be unsurprising that sometimes unexpected things happen:
[SpaceX] launched its Starship megarocket for the seventh time ever today (Jan. 16), sending the 403.5-foot-tall (123 meters) reusable vehicle aloft from its Starbase site in South Texas at 5:37 p.m. EST (2237 GMT; 4:37 p.m. local time). ...
The 33-engine booster nestled softly into the tower's arms about seven minutes after liftoff today, showcasing the time-saving recovery strategy that SpaceX intends to use for both Super Heavy and Ship, Starship's 171-foot-tall (52-meter-tall) upper stage.
I tell you, it'll never get old seeing this:
Alas, the rest of the flight didn't go quite as smoothly:
But not everything went to plan today. SpaceX lost contact with Ship around 8.5 minutes into flight, apparently after the vehicle suffered some kind of anomaly.
Some vacationers on an ocean liner reportedly caught site of the Starship as it blew up:
The destroyed ship put on quite a light show as it re-entered:
The debris was such that a bunch of planes in the area reportedly had to be rerouted around it:
SpaceX, meanwhile, has the right idea:
Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today's flight will help us improve Starship's reliability.
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