Explainer
Did Starship reach orbit, and what happened to its booster?
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On Friday, the fifteenth test flight of Starship lifted off from Starbase in south Texas. SpaceX hoped to catch both stages back at the tower for the first time.
Starbase
SpaceX had caught a booster 3 times before. Shortly after liftoff, mission control aborted the catch and sent the booster offshore, where it flipped over and exploded in the Gulf of Mexico after an automatic abort. SpaceX had not explained the malfunction.
3
The upper stage reached orbit and released 26 Starlink satellites. It is due to fly back to Starbase on Saturday, where the tower will try to catch it.
26
= 1 satellite
The ship itself has never been caught. Mike Day, who has watched SpaceX for years, said: Ultimately, this has been what the big dream has been about.
“Ultimately, this has been what the big dream has been about.”
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The story
Starship reaches orbit on Flight 15 as its booster falls into the Gulf of MexicoRead the article
Based on reports by
- The VergeSpaceX Starship launch successful, but a booster went boom instead of sticking the landing.
- Financial Times NewsSpaceX aborts attempt to catch Starship rocket after booster fails
- The GuardianSpaceX Starship megarocket blasts off before expected return for reuse
- Irish ExaminerSpaceX's bid for Starship double catch thwarted as booster ends up in Gulf
- La Libre.beSpaceX gives up on recovering the first stage of its Starship megarocket due to a technical problem (VIDEO)