SpaceX Starship launch: all of the news on its first test flight, and that explosive ending
SpaceX Starship prototype stacked on top of a Super Heavy rocket in Boca Chica, Texas. | Image: SpaceXThe Starship launched successfully but didn’t last long into its first orbital test flight before blowing up. Continue reading…
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Elon Musk’s stated goal of putting humans on Mars relies heavily on the development of a next-generation reusable spacecraft, and Starship (formerly known as Big Falcon Rocket, or BFR) attempted its first orbital test flight. It’s not the “six months” goal Musk projected in 2019, but after a number of suborbital tests that included some terrific successes and fantastic, fiery failures, the big day is finally here.
According to the original plan, the Starship would fly to orbital velocity after separating from its Super Heavy booster rocket about three minutes into the trip and then splash down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
However, on the first try, at least, things didn’t go to script all the way through. The spacecraft began spiraling and corkscrewing (at least from the perspective of ground cameras) and “experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly” before Starship’s planned separation from the first stage.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in a tweet that the next Starship test will occur “in a few months.”
Image: SpaceX
Read on for all the latest news about SpaceX’s first Starship orbital test flight.
SpaceX’s Starship successfully takes off before bursting into flames
Screenshot: SpaceX
SpaceX’s integrated Starship spacecraft successfully took off from its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday but didn’t manage to fully complete its test flight. The spacecraft spun out of control before bursting into a ball of flames about four minutes into its flight, cutting the test short.
In a statement on Twitter, SpaceX said, “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation.” During today’s 90-minute test flight, Starship was supposed to reach an altitude of about 150 miles during a journey around the globe before splashing down into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. SpaceX scrubbed its first test flight attempt on April 17th due to a “frozen” pressurant valve.
This is where Starship went off track.
We don’t know why the first Starship test flight ended in flames, but this shot posted on Twitter by Michael Baylor provides the clearest look at the spacecraft as it started to go off the planned flight path.
On the NASASpaceflight YouTube stream, the hosts noted a report that 5 or 6 of the booster rocket engines shut down before the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” ended things entirely.
The next Starship test launch will come “in a few months.”
After years of waiting, the first orbital test flight for SpaceX’s Starship ended explosively after a few minutes. Now Elon Musk says in a tweet that the team “Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”
More views.
Another look at the Starship launch.
Things got off to a good start.
We know how it ended, but this is how the flight test began.
Subsequent tweets from SpaceX said, “As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation. Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary. Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting first integrated flight test of Starship!
And... it’s over.
The flight test didn’t make it all the way to Hawaii as projected, but it did clear the tower. From the streams, we could see some of the booster’s engines shutting down before it went into a spin, and eventually, the flight was terminated, as the craft blew up just a couple of minutes into the test flight.
Image: SpaceX
Image: SpaceX
HOLD.
No word on why or for how long, but the Starship launch isn’t happening just yet. The flight director announced a hold, which SpaceX’s broadcast previously noted could occur for up to 15 minutes or so; we’ll update once we have more details.
Image: SpaceX
Just a few minutes left.
The countdown continues to tick away, and we haven’t heard of any issues that will stop today’s Starship flight test.
On the livestream, the commentators note there is an ability to hold at 40 seconds left, so stay tuned.
T-10.
No word on any wayward boats or aircraft, and SpaceX seems to think they’ve got the valve issue that scrubbed Monday’s attempt figured out, so we may see the Starship test launch attempt today.
Something else to consider.
Elon Musk and SpaceX’s rocket launch plans for the “Starbase” at Boca Chica, TX, have had opposition for quite a while. Still, in light of today’s Starship flight test attempt and the recent FAA license issued, some folks have revisited the possible environmental impact.
Freelance journalist Pablo De La Rosa notes local opposition to the launch, while on Substack, ESG Hound goes into issues with noise and the overall design of the launch site.
ESG Hound:
I still am in shock that a rocket system, the largest in history, will be fired off, from an inadequate facility, in the middle of an endangered species habitat, by a company that revels in the beautiful failure of explosions with seemingly no guardrails and no respect for the real danger this operation presents to the public.
T-33 minutes.
No notes about weather this time.
While you’re here, have you visited Rocketland?
With an hour-plus to go until the Starship launch window opens at 9:28AM ET, you still have time to check out our story and video about the SpaceX superfans who literally moved just to follow the company’s developments in Texas and who have been waiting for (what might happen) today as eagerly as anyone.
It’s 20 minutes long; you’ll still be able to see a rocket spewing smoke on the launchpad when it’s done.
And Mission Control audio.
Another alternative to the main video feed for the Starship test launch is SpaceX’s own Mission Control Audio stream. For official communications, first, this is the one you want, however, it comes without visuals and, as the caption mentions, “There may be very long periods of silence.”
Loading....
More fuel going in.
Another Starship launch attempt live feed.
If you can’t wait for SpaceX’s official Starship launch attempt live attempt livestream to begin at 8:45AM ET, or you just want an alternate angle on the action, NASA Spaceflight is, as usual, streaming from cameras trained on the launch tower in Texas with commentary of space enthusiasts providing additional context about everything going on.
How to watch SpaceX Starship’s first test flight — the most powerful rocket ever
SpaceX second attempt at the first test flight of its integrated Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster is happening Thursday morning. Known collectively as “Starship,” it’s the tallest rocket ever built, standing at 394 feet tall (120 meters) — about 90 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. It’s also the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the Super Heavy booster fitted with 33 of SpaceX’s powerful Raptor engines — the most engines ever featured in a first-stage rocket booster.
Starship is integral to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s vision of eventually sending a crew of people to Mars. It supersedes the company’s Falcon 9 rocket — currently the world’s most frequently launched rocket — capable of carrying more cargo and a larger crew while featuring a fully reusable design to help reduce the costs associated with spaceflight. Providing everything goes as planned, SpaceX will use Starship to transport NASA’s Artemis 3 astronauts to the moon in 2025.
Good morning Boca Chica.
So far, so good — the two-hour countdown to a possible Starship launch attempt has begun, however, today the weather is a concern as we near the start of the launch window at 9:28AM ET.
SpaceX’s next Starship launch attempt could happen on Thursday.
According to the Starship flight test mission page, the launch window it’s targeting is from 8:28AM CT (9:28AM ET) to 9:30 AM CT (10:30AM ET).
Yes, that’s 4/20, and no, it’s not a 69-minute window; it’s 62.
You can keep an eye on our stream of updates for any more details as they arrive.
No word yet on a time for another attempt.
But according to Elon Musk, another try for the Starship launch will happen in “a few days.”
Starship launch scrubbed.
Elon Musk tweeted that the issue stopping SpaceX’s first Starship orbital test flight is a frozen pressurant valve.
As the SpaceX livestream ended, we were told that it would take about 48 hours to recycle before making another attempt, so we’ll stand down for a couple of days, at least.
