Musk's SpaceX Seemingly Fails Again With Starship Launch

On Saturday, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX encountered another setback during the second test flight of its Starship. Despite a promising start, the mission faced complications post-launch.

What Happened: During the mission, the rocket's first stage separated as planned but unexpectedly disintegrated shortly after.

The status of Starship's second stage remains unknown after the company's mission control lost contact with it, reported Reuters. 

"We have lost the data from the second stage we think we may have lost the second stage," said SpaceX engineer John Insprucker.

Prior to the mishap, Musk congratulated the SpaceX team in a post on X. 

Congratulations team @SpaceX team! https://t.co/BlKAudwW47

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 18, 2023

While the latest incident marks a repeat of the previous test flight's failure, SpaceX said it views these challenges as critical learning opportunities. Nevertheless, this poses potential delays for NASA's Artemis spaceflight program, which the governmental agency has said rests on the success of Starship. 

Also Read: Here's Why Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Has Fallen Behind Elon Musk's SpaceX

Starship Flt 02: It's not yet known why the Super Heavy booster broke apart or why the Starship upper stage apparently failed just before or after engine shutdown; but the primary goal of the flight, testing the "hot-staging" system for separating the upper and lower stages…

— William Harwood (@cbs_spacenews) November 18, 2023

The test was vital for SpaceX's broader ambitions, including NASA's lunar missions and Elon Musk's vision of making humans a multi-planetary species. Despite the most recent setback, the flight did showcase significant technical achievements, like the successful hot staging system.

Now Read: Elon Musk's Dislike For Bright Colors, Ambitious Timelines Have Made SpaceX An Unsafe Workplace, Says Damning Report

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo: Shutterstock