Super Heavy Aced Its Catch As Starship Lost Contact, Broke Apart

SpaceX launched its seventh Starship test flight with big goals: prove its booster could return and be caught again while testing an upgraded upper stage. And while things didn’t go entirely according to plan—because rocket science is hard—there was still plenty to learn.

Liftoff went without a hitch at 4:37 pm on January 16, with all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster firing as expected. After a full-duration burn, the booster handed things over to Starship using a hot-staging maneuver, where the second stage ignited its engines while still attached. Starship then continued its push toward space while Super Heavy turned back toward Texas for landing.

The booster’s return was nearly flawless. It successfully completed its boost back burn, even with one engine taking an unscheduled break. All 13 planned engines relit for the landing burn, guiding the massive rocket straight into the launch tower’s chopstick arms. This marked the second-ever catch of a Super Heavy booster, giving SpaceX at least one success from the mission.

Meanwhile, Starship’s journey to orbit ran into some more serious issues. About two minutes into its burn, a flash appeared near one of its vacuum engines. Sensors detected a pressure spike in the unpressurized section known as the “attic,” and two minutes later, another flash caused most of the engines to shut down. Just over eight minutes into the flight, contact with the vehicle was lost entirely and Starship broke apart on its way down. While not exactly ideal, the breakup fell within expected safety parameters.

Post-flight analysis pointed to a harmonic vibration issue—basically, an unexpected and aggressive shaking that stressed the propulsion system. This led to fuel leaks, fires, and ultimately, Starship’s demise. In response, SpaceX tested new engine configurations and fuel line adjustments to prevent the same issue from happening again.

Despite Starship’s fiery exit, the booster catch was a major win and SpaceX gathered valuable data to improve the upcoming eighth flight.

“Starship’s seventh flight test was a reminder that developmental progress is not always linear, and putting flight hardware in a flight environment is the fastest way to demonstrate how thousands of distinct parts come together to reach space,” the aerospace giant stated. “Upcoming flights will continue to target ambitious goals in the pursuit of full and rapid reusability.”

FMI: www.spacex.com