It was a mostly successful second outing for SpaceX’s next-generation Starship megarocket.
The nearly 400-foot-tall uncrewed rocket lifted off on a crucial test flight at 8 a.m. ET, and while SpaceX pulled off several major objectives, they ultimately lost contact with Starship around 10 minutes after liftoff.
Few details are known at this time, but during a livestream of the event, one SpaceX official said an automated termination system onboard Starship was likely triggered and the spacecraft appeared to have detonated.
Still, SpaceX was able to achieve more milestones during this flight compared to its first attempt earlier in the year.
Starship’s debut launch in April ended in a huge explosion mere minutes into the flight. The incident prompted a safety review and drew intense scrutiny over damage to the local environment around SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas.
The Starship rocket is a critical part of NASA’s ambitions to return to the moon. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has also said that Starship could also be used for missions to Mars.
Musk congratulates SpaceX team
NASA head offers congrats
NASA head Bill Nelson offered some congrats to the SpaceX team on the test flight.
No updates from SpaceX
We're still waiting word from SpaceX for details on what happened end of the launch.
Few details are known at this time, but one SpaceX official said during the livestream of the launch that an automated termination system onboard Starship was likely triggered and the spacecraft appeared to have detonated.
What's an automated flight termination system?
Starship is equipped with an "automated flight termination system" that is designed to kick in if something goes awry with the spacecraft. If an anomaly is detected, for instance, the spacecraft can essentially destroy itself.
Better than the first
It's clear that SpaceX learned a lot from its first launch.
While we're still waiting to hear exactly what happened to Starship, the successful launch of the rocket and the separation are crucial milesteones in the system's development.
Starship may have detonated
CNBC space reports Michael Sheetz is reporting that SpaceX webcaster John Insprucker said on the livestream that the system's termination system may have activated.
That's it for the livestream
We're left a little unsure of what's happening with the test flight.
After a successful launch and separation, the Super Heavy booster exploded and Starship appeared to continue on its journey.
But not long after that, SpaceX seemed to stop receiving data from Starship.
And now, the company's livestream is over. Hopefully we'll know more soon.
SpaceX appears to have lost touch with Starship
SpaceX said on its livestream that it is no longer receiving data from the Starship spacecraft, meaning that it may have lost touch with the vehicle.
Starship headed around Earth
Starship won't get into orbit, but it will take a suborbital trip to test its heat shield and ability to withstand re-entry from orbit.
The ship, if it makes it, will splash down in the Pacific not too far from Hawaii
Super Heavy booster explodes
After separation, the Super Heavy booster exploded, which SpaceX calls a "rapid unscheduled dissaembly."
The explosion did not appear to affect Starship, which had already separated.