SpaceX Starship booster explodes during catch attempt

SpaceX's efforts to develop a completely reusable megarocket system faced a significant setback on Friday during the 15th Starship test flight. The company was unable to execute a catch attempt for its superheavy booster rocket.

Following a successful launch and stage separation, mission control in Starbase, Texas, had to abort the booster's descent and perform an "offshore divert." The booster subsequently flipped and exploded in the sea, marking a failure for the critical catch maneuver. SpaceX has not yet detailed the cause of the malfunction.

Meanwhile, Starship's upper stage continued its mission, successfully orbiting Earth 14 times over 22 hours and deploying 26 new V3 Starlink satellites. It is slated to re-enter the atmosphere and return to Starbase for its own catch attempt using SpaceX's "mechzilla" arms.

This mission was intended to be the first where both Starship stages were caught. While SpaceX has recovered boosters before, catching the Starship itself has been an ongoing challenge, with previous attempts resulting in ocean splashes or destruction upon re-entry or ascent. The success of Starship is integral to Elon Musk's broader objectives, including winning NASA contracts, establishing space-based AI data centers, and pursuing long-term goals like colonizing the Moon and Mars.

Musk anticipates Starship launches will accelerate next year, with SpaceX developing an additional launch site in Louisiana to boost capacity. This development follows a significant milestone in September when Starship successfully reached orbit and deployed satellites, occurring after SpaceX's record-breaking $75 billion IPO in June, which briefly made Musk a trillionaire.