The first two Starship flight tests ended in an explosive fashion. On its third attempt, the spacecraft lasted much longer.
After a few delays, SpaceX’s Starship launched at 9:25AM ET for its third flight test. This time, it completed a hot-stage separation with the booster rocket and successfully reached orbital velocity, according to Elon Musk. This Starship prototype skipped a planned attempt to relight its Raptor engines in space and was scheduled to splash down in the Indian Ocean about an hour after takeoff.
However, SpaceX commentators confirmed the vehicle was “lost” after reentry and that there would be no splashdown today.
This latest Starship test follows two failed attempts last year, with the rocket spinning out of control before exploding around four minutes after launch in April, followed by a second attempt in November that similarly ended in flames.
SpaceX has ended its live broadcast, but we’ll continue to add any updates about the mission as they come in.