SpaceX picks up a booster spacecraft for a second time, losing the ship to an ‘anomaly’ in space

SpaceX picked up its Starship rocket’s Super Heavy booster for the second time, after launching the upper stage into space on Thursday during the system’s seventh test flight. Shortly after the successful hunt, SpaceX representatives reported the ship missing after the company lost contact with it about eight and a half minutes into the flight.

The ship successfully separated from the booster and began its rocket engines to climb into orbit before some of those engines appeared to fail. The company then saw its link to the ship’s telemetry device disappear, and a few minutes later SpaceX confirmed that the ship had suffered an “anomaly in that upper stage” during the end of its burning ascent into space.

The company has pulled out its first booster “trap” — which involves articulated arms on the launch tower that snatch a rocket stage out of the air while using rockets to slow its descent — In October 2024. A second attempt to capture the booster in November was called off Due to a connection problem.

The rocket launched by SpaceX on Thursday was upgraded in several ways compared to previous test flights. The company was hoping to test a number of different thermal tiles on a section of the ship, which protect it from return forces. The launch tower is also equipped with radar sensors to more accurately determine the location of the booster during the capture process.

This story develops…