SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket on Friday from its facility in south Texas in an attempt to achieve a double-capture maneuver involving both major components of the massive 407-foot-tall vehicle. The rocket, on its 15th test flight, consists of a lower booster section equipped with 33 Raptor engines and an upper stage known as Starship, which was designed to orbit Earth approximately 14 times over a 22-hour mission duration before returning to the launch site for retrieval.
The aerospace company had planned to catch both the booster and upper stage using mechanical capture arms located at the launch tower, but the plan encountered complications when the booster component, called Super Heavy, was diverted and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of returning as intended. SpaceX director of quality management Kate Tice acknowledged the unexpected outcome while indicating that the diversion was consistent with established safety protocols. The precise circumstances that led to the booster’s abort sequence remained unclear at the time.
Despite the failure to achieve the double-catch objective, the flight demonstrated progress toward other goals. The mission marked the first attempt to capture the upper stage, a 171-foot section of the rocket, representing advancement beyond previous test flights that focused solely on booster recovery. The upper stage continued functioning in space, traveling at velocities exceeding 26,000 kilometers per hour at an altitude of approximately 270 kilometers.
The launch proceeded despite a nationwide ground stop affecting hundreds of commercial flights, with temporary disruptions to service from Hawaii resuming on Friday due to space debris concerns. The vehicle carried Starlink internet satellites, three of which were equipped with cameras to evaluate the spacecraft’s heat shield during flight. Company leadership views rapid reusability of the Starship system as central to reducing costs for future deep-space missions and lunar transportation, with NASA having contracted SpaceX for lunar lander services supporting a planned return of astronauts to the moon in 2028.
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