San Francisco Frontiers - SpaceX catches Starship booster again, but upper stage explodes

In terms of sheer excitement, Elon Musk's company didn't disappoint, underscoring its technical prowess by catching the first stage booster in the "chopstick" arms of its launch tower for a second time.

But the triumph was short-lived when teams lost contact with the upper stage vehicle. SpaceX later confirmed it had undergone "rapid unscheduled disassembly," the company's euphemism for an explosion.

A taller, improved version of the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built blasted off from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, at 4:37 pm (2237 GMT) for its seventh test.

Around seven minutes after liftoff, the stainless steel Super Heavy booster decelerated from supersonic speeds -- generating sonic booms -- before descending gracefully into the launch tower's waiting arms, prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams.

The maneuver was first successfully executed in October, but not November, when Super Heavy made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead.

Soon after the latest booster catch, however, announcers on a live webcast confirmed the upper stage vehicle had been lost following a propulsion anomaly.

The FlightAware tracker showed several planes in the Atlantic altering course near the Turks and Caicos Islands, while users on X shared dramatic footage purportedly capturing the spaceship breaking apart in a fiery cascade during atmospheric re-entry.

"Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" Musk posted on X, sharing one of the clips.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency is "aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mission," adding it was "assessing the operation and will issue an updated statement."

- Well wishes -

Ahead of the SpaceX launch, Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket reached orbital space for the first time overnight, marking a potential turning point in the commercial space race.

SpaceX has long dominated orbital launches with its Falcon 9 rocket, securing contracts from private companies, the Pentagon and NASA.

In contrast, Blue Origin had been limited to short hop suborbital flights with its smaller New Shepard rocket -- but could now look to erode SpaceX's market share.

Although the two tech titans have had a contentious past, Musk congratulated Bezos "on reaching orbit on the first attempt," and Bezos returned the goodwill a few hours later.

"Good luck today @elonmusk and the whole spacex team!!" the Amazon founder wrote on X.

For this flight, SpaceX announced it had implemented "hardware upgrades to the launch and catch tower to increase reliability for booster catch," including enhancements to sensor protections on the chopsticks damaged during the last launch.

Starship itself has also undergone tweaks and now stands at 403 feet (123 meters) tall -- about 100 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty. New Glenn stands 320 feet tall.

While its Falcon rockets remain steadfast workhorses, SpaceX has made clear it sees Starship as its future.

The first three test flights ended in dramatic explosions, resulting in the loss of vehicles. However, SpaceX has rapidly iterated on its design, reflecting its "fail fast, learn fast" philosophy.

Musk is now aiming to drastically ramp up the frequency of tests, requesting permission from the FAA to carry out 25 in 2025, compared to just four in 2024.

The agency is holding public meetings on potential environmental and regulatory concerns, amid accusations that SpaceX has harmed ecologically sensitive areas and violated wastewater regulations.

But with Musk now part of Trump's inner circle, the billionaire may find a smoother path under the incoming administration.

Meanwhile, Bezos and fellow tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg are set to attend the president-elect's inauguration on Monday, signaling warming ties.

U.Campbell--SFF