By 
January 17th, 2025
Image credit: SpaceX
The seventh flight test of the SpaceX Starship took place on Thursday, January 16.
Departing from the SpaceX Starbase site in Texas, the Elon Musk “MAGA rocket” mission ended with the destruction of the Starship 7 test vehicle, with debris arcing into the Atlantic near the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Super Heavy booster/Starship did separate with the booster returning to Starbase, A major milestone of the program was achieved for the second time as the Super Heavy booster was captured and cradled by the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms.
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space
Preliminary indication
However, the flight of Starship 7 ran into difficulty, leading to its destruction.
Shortly after the failure, SpaceX chief rocketeer, Elon Musk posted this statement: “Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.”
Musk added that “apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month.”
Starship 7 leftovers arc into the Atlantic near the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Image credit: Dean Olson
Assessing the operation
Regarding the Starship 7 reentry in the Caribbean, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that airline traffic was delayed at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports due to the rocket launch anomaly.
The FAA stated that it “briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where space vehicle debris was falling” and is “assessing the operation.”
Rapid unscheduled disassembly
According to SpaceX, following stage separation, the Starship upper stage successfully lit all six Raptor engines and performed its ascent burn to space.
“Prior to the burn’s completion, telemetry was lost with the vehicle after approximately eight and a half minutes of flight. Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
In a post-launch announcement, SpaceX stated that the Starship flew within its designated launch corridor as intended, “to safeguard the public both on the ground, on water and in the air.”
Image credit: SpaceX
Debris hotline
As intended, any surviving Starship 7 debris were to have fallen into that designated hazard area, adding that “if you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly. Instead, please contact your local authorities or the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at recovery@spacex.com
According to SpaceX, the booster and ship for Starship’s eighth flight test “are built and going through prelaunch testing and preparing to fly as we continue a rapid iterative development process to build a fully and rapidly reusable space transportation system.”
For launch replay, go to:
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-7
Posted in Space News
