Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starship on Flight 7 — catches booster, loses ship

SpaceX launched the seventh test flight of the Starship megarocket from Starbase in Texas on Jan. 16, 2025. Starship's Super Heavy booster successfully separated, and returned to Earth and was caught by the "chopsticks" on the launch tower. Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-catches-super-heavy-booster-on-starship-flight-7-test-but-loses-upper-stage-video-photos SpaceX lost communications Starship about 8.5 minutes into flight. The private spaceflight company confirmed that the ship was lost on X: "Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause." Credit: SpaceX