Starship's booster lost to Gulf explosion in 15th test

Starship Flight 15 launches Friday

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on the program's fifteenth test flight Friday. The twenty-two-hour mission was meant to feature planned launch pad catches of both the booster and upper stage.

Booster diverted to Gulf after technical problem

After the booster sent Starship to orbit as planned, a technical problem prevented a return-to-launch-pad capture. The rocket made a splashdown off the Texas Gulf Coast, exploding in a fireball moments before hitting the water.

Previous successful booster catches

SpaceX managed to catch a Super Heavy booster during three previous test flights, using giant mechanical arms on the launch gantry to snag the rockets as they descended tail first on the power of three…

Rocket launches from Starbase in Texas

Loaded with eight million pounds of supercold liquid oxygen and methane fuel, the two hundred thirty-six-foot-tall first stage roared to life and propelled the booster away from SpaceX's Starbase launch site on the Texas Gulf…

Starship reaches orbit successfully

The one hundred seventy-one-foot-tall Starship continued climbing to space using six Raptors of its own.After an eighteen-minute coast, a single Raptor reignited for a short ten-second burn to push the craft into its planned orbit.

Twenty-six Starlink satellites deployed

Eight and a half minutes after reaching orbit, the first of twenty-six upgraded version three Starlink internet satellites was expected to be pushed out into space to fly on its own.

Upper stage to attempt pad catch Saturday

One hour after a final return check Saturday, a single Raptor is expected to fire at three twenty-one pm Eastern time to lower the Starship's orbit for a fifty-six-minute belly-first reentry and return to the…

Starship will fire three engines to flip upright

Nearing the launch pad, the Starship will fire three Raptors to flip upright. Once complete, one Raptor will shut down as the rocket descends between the gantry's mechanical arms for the catch attempt.

Full reusability is the goal

SpaceX calls development of a fully reusable rocket the holy grail of rocketry, opening the door to airplanelike cadence where a vehicle flies again rapidly.

“the holy grail of rocketry”