SpaceX conducted its third test flight of the Starship mega-rocket, which aimed for an hour-long mission but ended in failure as contact was lost during the descent back to Earth, Associated Press reports.
Despite the setback, the flight was considered a significant improvement compared to previous attempts, with the rocket reaching a record altitude and surviving close to 50 minutes before the spacecraft presumably broke apart. The loss occurred as Starship neared its intended splashdown location in the Indian Ocean. The rocket’s first-stage booster also broke apart earlier in the flight over the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX plans to use Starship for satellite launches and eventually crewed missions to the moon and Mars. NASA requires a successful unmanned moon landing before crewed missions, aiming to land astronauts on the moon by 2026.
