After igniting its 33 Raptor engines and propelling Starship toward space, the booster separated and began its descent.
SpaceX had to abort the booster catch due to automated health checks on the hardware.
In a statement, the space agency explained that, “The booster then executed a pre-planned divert maneuver, performing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Despite the setback, the mission achieved other significant milestones.
Milestones in Space
The Starship spacecraft ignited one of its Raptor engines in space for the first time, a critical achievement for its planned missions to the Moon and Mars. “They’re finicky little beasts,” said former NASA astronaut Garret Reisman, referring to the Starship rocket engines. Restarting an engine in space, he noted, is a challenging feat.
The spacecraft pushed its limits during reentry, testing a new “nose-down” orientation rather than the usual belly-flop configuration. SpaceX engineer Jessie Anderson explained this approach aimed to evaluate the flap structures under extreme stress.
