‘Opportunity to learn’: NASA stands behind SpaceX after it loses contact with Starship

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has congratulated Elon Musk-owned SpaceX over the launch of unmanned Starship spacecraft.

The spacecraft, designed for transporting astronauts to the moon and beyond, was successfully launched from the company's Starbase launch site near Boca Chica in Texas, but contact was lost roughly 10 minutes after lift-off. Follow LIVE updates here.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that Spaceflight is a bold adventure demanding a can-do spirit and daring innovation and that today's test by SpaceX was an opportunity to learn and fly again.

“Spaceflight is a bold adventure demanding a can-do spirit and daring innovation. Today’s test is an opportunity to learn—then fly again. Together NASA and SpaceX will return humanity to the Moon, Mars & beyond,” Nelson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This was the second launch of Elon Musk's Starship rocket after its first flight in April ended after an explosion. SpaceX had initially scheduled the second launch of the Starship rocket on Friday, but delayed it by a day due to technical issues.

Starship launch: What exactly happened after the launch?

The two-stage rocket launched from SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica in Texas, reaching an altitude of about 55 miles (90 km) on its planned 90-minute space journey. However, the Super Heavy first stage booster, while successfully separating from its core stage, experienced an explosion over the Gulf of Mexico shortly after detachment.

Simultaneously, the primary Starship booster continued its trajectory into space. However, approximately 10 minutes into the flight, a SpaceX mission control broadcaster reported an abrupt loss of contact with the vehicle.

Speaking about the explosion SpaceX wrote on its official handle on X, “The booster experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly shortly after stage separation while Starship's engines fired for several minutes on its way to space…”

“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary…” it added.

The US Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial launch sites, confirmed a mishap occurred that "resulted in a loss of the vehicle," adding no injuries or property damage have been reported.

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