SpaceX launches Starship, booster explodes over Gulf of Mexico
SpaceX's Starship reached orbit on Friday, but its booster stage failed to land and detonated over the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft remains in orbit for planned recovery.
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship vehicle from the South Texas Starbase, sending the upper stage into orbit and deploying 26 Starlink satellites. The booster, intended to return to the launch site for a controlled landing, deviated to a designated area over the Gulf of Mexico and exploded before it could be recovered.
"Not sure right now why we weren't able to bring it back," said SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot. The upper stage is expected to re-enter and be captured by mechanical arms on the launch pad on Saturday, marking the first planned recovery of the spacecraft after an orbital flight.
The launch was uncrewed and part of SpaceX's effort to develop a fully reusable launch system, which the company says could lower the cost of spaceflight. The project has received billions of dollars in NASA funding, and SpaceX has invested at least $15 billion of its own capital. Elon Musk has indicated a goal of conducting Starship launches weekly by early 2027.