SpaceX launched its 407-foot Starship megarocket from its south Texas site on Friday, but lost the Super Heavy booster in an explosion over the Gulf of Mexico instead of catching it with the launch tower arms.
The world’s largest rocket lifted off on its 15th flight with 33 Raptor engines firing during takeoff. SpaceX had planned to return both the booster and the upper stage to the launch tower in south Texas for a historic double catch using mechanical arms.
Both the spacecraft and the booster successfully lifted off from the launch site.
The flight proceeded as scheduled even though a nationwide ground stop disrupted hundreds of flights. Flights heading west from Hawaii experienced a temporary pause before resuming on Friday due to space debris originating from the launch, according to the local transportation agency.
11/13/26 3:43PM: The nationwide ground stop and the temporary pause for space debris have both been lifted. There may be delays as airlines work to accommodate passengers from earlier flights. Travelers are still advised to check with their carrier before leaving for the airport. pic.twitter.com/JgLdIgYZ6N
That certainly isn’t the news that we had hoped to hear for today.
Kate Tice, SpaceX director of quality management
Tice said that the booster’s return was executed in line with “rigorous safety checks”.
The upper stage was traveling at over 26,000 km/h at an altitude of 270km.
Elon Musk has advanced the development of a fully reusable rocket system to drive down the cost of spaceflight and create what he termed a “critical breakthrough needed to make life multiplanetary”. Musk expects Starship launches to occur once a week by early 2027.
The project has received billions of dollars in NASA funding, alongside at least $15 billion in investments from SpaceX.
SpaceX will attempt to catch both the Super Heavy booster and Starship on the upcoming flight. If both are successful, it will mark the first time that all parts of an orbital rocket return to Earth intact. This is the critical breakthrough needed to make life multiplanetary. https://t.co/BIxkhd5bkR
Earlier coverage: SpaceX Abandons Booster Recovery After Technical Glitch
