SpaceX has reached a notable achievement by successfully recovering the booster of its Starship megarocket for only the second time. However, this 7th test flight concluded with the loss of the rocket’s second stage due to an anomaly.
The flight, which lifted off on January 16, 2025, at 4:37 p.m. local time, represented another step in SpaceX’s mission to develop the Starship rocket, designed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
The first stage, referred to as ‘Super Heavy’, made a controlled descent and was captured by mechanical arms on the launch tower, colloquially known as ‘Mechazilla’.
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/aq91TloYzY
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 16, 2025
Unfortunately, positive momentum shifted to concern when communication with the Starship upper stage was lost.
“We did lose all communications with the ship,” SpaceX manager Dan Huot stated during the broadcast of the launch.
Subsequently, the company confirmed via social media that the upper stage had experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” which indicates an explosion.
Wow, some Footage from the Cockpit of a Commercial Aircraft, showing falling Space Debris from SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7, which broke-up earlier tonight over the Atlantic near the Turks and Caicos Islands. pic.twitter.com/U7bqCBl7Yv
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 17, 2025
“Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” SpaceX commented. “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted air traffic nearby due to falling debris but reported that normal operations had resumed shortly after the incident.
This test flight coincided with the successful debut of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, the second stage of which reached orbit a day prior. Amid the competition between SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, the two entrepreneurs congratulated each other’s achievements.
