SpaceX's Starship megarocket blasted off from Texas on Friday afternoon, with the aerospace company attempting a double catch of its reusable rocket. However, the booster, named Super Heavy, was aborted and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, with the cause of this diversion currently unknown.
The Starship, which is the world's largest rocket at 407ft, is on its 15th flight. It is expected to orbit Earth approximately 14 times over 22 hours, with SpaceX planning to catch the rocket's 171ft upper stage at its Starbase launchpad in south Texas.
Kate Tice, SpaceX's director of quality management, stated that the booster's return was in line with "rigorous safety checks," despite it not being the hoped-for outcome. This flight aims to be the first time SpaceX catches the rocket's upper stage, following previous tests that focused on booster retrieval.
The Starship is currently sailing through space at over 26,000 km/h at an altitude of 270km. It carried satellites for Starlink, SpaceX's internet service, including three fitted with cameras to analyse the rocket's heat shield, providing data for its potential return.