However, there were pros and cons for the aerospace giant, and although they succeeded in capturing the first stage booster upon return to Earth, ABC News reported that communication with the Starship was lost on the way to space.
The more than 400-foot-long rocket, powered by 33 Raptor engines, appeared to have successfully lifted off from SpaceX’s launch pad at the Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas, at 4:37 p.m. CT.
However, minutes into the mission, ground control announced during the mission’s livestream that all communications with the ship had been lost.
The company said the ship was lost after losing multiple engines and telemetry equipment.
There were no astronauts on board the test flight mission.
SpaceX added that the rocket used Thursday was a new model of Starship.
While the Starship was lost, the super-heavy first stage booster successfully performed a controlled descent back to the launch tower, where it was captured by the launch tower’s giant robotic arm. This is considered one of the most difficult aspects of the mission.
Thursday’s feat marks the second time SpaceX has been able to capture back to a stage booster using a launch tower.
Following the loss of the spacecraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly announced that flights in and around Florida would be delayed due to the potential for falling debris from SpaceX launches.
On Thursday, footage of debris falling from the sky was seen over the Turks and Caicos Islands.
MNA