Cape Canaveral, Florida – SpaceX is gearing up to launch its Starship megarocket on its next test flight this Monday. This comes after a setback six weeks ago when the vehicle’s upper stage exploded over the Atlantic Ocean during a similar test.
In the previous mishap on January 16, SpaceX lost communication with Starship approximately eight minutes into the flight. The subsequent explosion led to debris raining over parts of Turks and Caicos, although no injuries were reported. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration promptly launched an investigation, grounding the rocket during the probe. While the agency has cleared Starship for flight once again, the investigation remains ongoing.
According to SpaceX’s own findings, the likely cause of the accident was a propellant leak in a section of Starship referred to as the “attic.” This area is situated between the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank and the rear heat shield. The leak is believed to have triggered sustained fires that forced most of Starship’s engines to shut down during the flight.
The upcoming test flight, the eighth for Starship, was initially scheduled for Friday but had to be delayed for undisclosed reasons. SpaceX has made several hardware and operational changes to the rocket’s upper stage in light of the previous incident. The FAA, which approved the flight, faced previous challenges with budget and personnel cuts under the Trump administration.
If the Starship launches successfully on Monday, it will aim to release four mock Starlink satellites during the flight. This milestone would mark the first time the vehicle deploys a payload. Furthermore, the plan involves the megarocket’s first stage returning to the launchpad and being caught using giant mechanical arms on the rocket’s launch tower.
The catch maneuver plays a crucial role in SpaceX’s ambition to establish Starship as a fully reusable rocket system. The vehicle’s upper stage is expected to fly for approximately an hour before splashing down in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia. Starship, standing at an impressive 400 feet tall, is poised to become a cornerstone of NASA’s plans to return to the moon. SpaceX was selected by NASA to transport astronauts during the Artemis III mission scheduled for 2027, with potential future missions to Mars in the pipeline as well.