Diversions aplenty as SpaceX loses another Starship
Just over a month since the seventh mission ended in an explosive firework show, SpaceX’s eighth Starship has also experienced what the company deems a ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’ – disintegrating into a shower of sparks just minutes into the mission.
Although the Super Heavy booster stage returned to SpaceX’s launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas and was successfully ‘caught’ as planned, the second phase of the mission again ran into insurmountable difficulties. As broadcast on SpaceX’s livestream, the aircraft’s uncrewed upper stage began to spin uncontrollably – apparently with its engines out – before the camera feed was cut.
“During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost,” confirmed SpaceX. “Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.”
With firework-like debris again streaking through the sky, FlightRadar24 tracking data showed commercial services diverting around the predicted debris field. The FAA briefly issued ‘ground stops’ (lasting around an hour) affecting commercial services at Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Orlando airports. Flights were also diverted around Turks and Caicos, with the FAA confirming it had “activated a Debris Response Area and briefly slowed aircraft where space vehicle debris was falling”.
Starship had intended to deploy four Starlink simulators, similar in size to its V3 Starlink satellites, on this latest mission. Additionally, SpaceX had confirmed that with Flight 7 having premiered a huge block of upgrades to the upper stage to add more capability to Starhip. With flight 8, we’re focused on finding the real-world limits of Starship so we can prepare to eventually return Starship to the launch site and catch it,” it wrote.
Although SpaceX was required by the FAA to conduct a mishap investigation into the loss of its previous aircraft, the agency had allowed SpaceX to continue with this most recent launch. A second mishap investigation will now be required.
“We will review the data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability,” concluded SpaceX on social media.
