Category Archives: Spacex

On Monday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET, SpaceX launched the Turksat 6A mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. SpaceX succeeded in launching Turkeys first home grown communications satellite despite a delay due to weather. The Sunday weather report report from the 45th Weather Squadron forecast only a 30 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff for both the primary and backup dates and thunderstorms that could bring with them winds of 40 miles per hour or greater.

Convective activity should taper off after sunset, but steering winds are expected to be weak, possibly extending any weather violations that occur. Conditions are expected to be similar for the backup day, the weather report stated. The Cumulus Cloud, both Anvil Cloud, and Surface Electric Fields are the most likely rules to violate on both the primary and backup days.

Prior to the missions launch, Turkeys Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uralolu called the Trksat 6A geostationary satellite the symbol of our independence.

This was the ninth flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, O3b mPOWER, Ovzon 3, Eutelsat 36D, and eight Starlink missions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan expressed his gratitude to SpaceX founder Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter) saying that his country is pleased to strengthen our cooperation with Mr. Elon Musk and SpaceX in various fields.

SpaceX Trksat 6A comsat planned for Monday

Convective activity should taper off after sunset, but steering winds are expected to be weak, possibly extending any weather violations that occur. Conditions are expected to be similar for the backup day, the weather report stated. The Cumulus Cloud, both Anvil Cloud, and Surface Electric Fields are the most likely rules to violate on both the primary and backup days.

If on schedule Falcon 9 will launch Trksat 6A communications satellite for the Turkish operator Trksat first from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, from 5:20-9:43 p.m. EDT.

Trksat 6A is the first geostationary communications satellite to be built in Turkey, with development led by TBTAK Space Technologies Research Institute and Turkish Aerospace Industries. It will operate at the 42 East orbital position providing services to customers in Turkey, as well as in Europe, Northern coast of Africa, Middle East, India and Indonesia. Delayed from 2nd Quarter 2023 and March 2024, and launch moved up from July 9.

The forecast calls for a temperature of 88F, light rain, 100% cloud cover, a wind speed of 13mph and 0.29in of rain.

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SpaceX sends Turkeys first home grown communications satellite despite threatening weather - SatNews

Enlarge / SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rockets from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company plans to develop Starship launch infrastructure at Pad 39A and Pad 37. United Launch Alliance flies Vulcan and Atlas V rockets from Pad 41, and Blue Origin will base its New Glenn rocket at Pad 36.

NASA (labels by Ars Technica)

United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin are worried about SpaceX's plans to launch its enormous Starship rocket from Florida.

In documents submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration last month, ULA and Blue Origin raised concerns about the impact of Starship launch operations on their own activities on Florida's Space Coast. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' space company, urged the federal government to consider capping the number of Starship launches and landings, test-firings, and other operations, and limiting SpaceX's activities to particular times.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, called Blue Origin's filing with the FAA "an obviously disingenuous response. Not cool of them to try (for the third time) to impede SpaceXs progress by lawfare." We'll get to that in a moment.

The FAA and SpaceX are preparing an environmental impact statement for launches and landings of the Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), while the US Space Force is working with SpaceX on a similar environmental review for Starship flights from Space Launch Complex 37 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

These reviews likely won't be complete until late 2025, at the earliest, and only then will SpaceX be cleared to launch Starship from Florida. SpaceX also must construct launch infrastructure at both sites, which could take a couple of years. This is already underway at Launch Complex 39A.

During the environmental review process, the FAA should weigh how regular flights of the reusable Starshipas many as 120 launches per year, according to TechCrunchwill affect other launch providers operating at Cape Canaveral, ULA and Blue Origin said. SpaceX's final proposed launch cadence from each site will be part of draft environmental assessments released for public comment as soon as the end of this year.

SpaceX plans to launch Starlink satellites, customer payloads, and missions to support NASA's Artemis lunar landings from the launch pads in Florida. Getting a launch pad up and running in Florida is one of several schedule hurdles facing SpaceX's program to develop a human-rated lunar lander version of Starship, alongside demonstrating orbital refueling.

Starship-Super Heavy launches and landings "are expected to have a greater environmental impact than any other launch system currently operating at KSC or CCSFS," Blue Origin wrote. In its current configuration, Starship is the most powerful rocket in history, and SpaceX is developing a larger version standing 492 feet (150 meters) tall with nearly 15 million pounds (6,700 metric tons) of propellant. This larger variant is the one that will fly from Cape Canaveral.

"Its a very, very large rocket, and getting bigger," wrote Tory Bruno, ULA's CEO, in a post on X. "That quantity of propellant requires an evacuation zone whenever fueled that includes other peoples facilities. A (weekly) launch has injurious sound levels all the way into town. The Cape isnt meant for a monopoly."

At SpaceX's privately owned Starbase launch site in South Texas, the evacuation zone is set at 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) when Starship and Super Heavy are filled with methane and liquid oxygen propellants. During an actual launch, the checkpoint is farther back at more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the pad.

"The total launch capacity of the Cape will go down if other providers are forced to evacuate their facilities whenever a vehicle is fueled," Bruno wrote.

We don't yet know the radius of the keep-out zones for Starship operations in Florida, but Blue Origin wrote that the impact of Starship activities in Florida "may be even greater than at Starbase," presumably due to the larger rocket SpaceX plans to launch from Cape Canaveral. If this is the case, neighboring launch pads would need to be evacuated during Starship operations.

Purely based on the geography of Cape Canaveral, ULA seems to have the bigger worry. Its launch pad for the Vulcan and Atlas V rocket is located less than 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A). SpaceX's proposal for up to 44 launches from LC-39A "will result in significant airspace and ground closures, result in acoustic impacts felt at nearby operations, and potentially produce debris, particulates, and property damage," ULA said.

ULA said these hazards could prevent it from fulfilling its contracts to launch critical national security satellites for the US military.

"As the largest rocket in existence, an accident would inflict serious or even catastrophic damage, while normal launch operations would have a cumulative impact on structures, launch vehicle hardware, and other critical launch support equipment," ULA said.

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Heres why SpaceXs competitors are crying foul over Starship launch plans - Ars Technica

SpaceXs ambitious plans to launch Starship rockets up to 44 times a year from Kennedy Space Center are causing concern among competitors. Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance have called on regulators to pay attention to the fact that Elon Musks company is effectively taking all the free windows for future private rocket launches. Blue Origin even proposed to limit the launch of Starship for a certain period of time and give other suppliers the right to book launches in case of a conflict with launches.

SpaceX has even more ambitious plans for the SLC-37 launch pad at Cape Canaveral. The historic SLC-37 launch pad, which launched the Saturn V rocket in the 1960s and more recently the Delta IV rocket series, is currently inactive. However, Elon Musks private space company plans to restore the site and use it to increase launches to 76 per year.

But SpaceXs plan has also worried environmentalists, as such a number could have a major impact on the local environment. The US Space Force is preparing a draft environmental assessment that will take into account how the launches will affect the local flora and fauna.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also preparing a separate environmental assessment for Starship launches from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Both studies will evaluate the environmental impact of Starship launches and landing operations, which involve the return of super-heavy boosters to the launch pad.

The environmental impact statement for SLC-37 also considers the alternative of building a new launch pad, SLC-50. Significant construction work is likely to be required, including the construction of water drainage ponds, fuel tanks, and a recovery tower. If both sites become operational, it will help SpaceX to make up to 120 launches a year.

The two launch pads in Florida will join the existing Starship launch tower at the SpaceX Starbase launch complex in Texas and the second tower under construction at the same location. In total, SpaceX may have four operational launch sites for Starship launches. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk plans to use his mega rockets to colonize Mars and other parts of the solar system. The goal is to launch Starships several times a day, delivering hundreds of tons of cargo into orbit.

Blue Origin and ULA have expressed concerns about the impact of SpaceXs frequent launches on other launch operations in the region. ULA says that even a single Starship launch could disrupt other launch operations and cause significant environmental impact. Blue Origin, which plans to launch the New Glenn rocket from LC-36, is proposing a number of measures to reduce the launches of its main competitor.

Earlier, we reported how Starlink is destroying the ozone layer, which was supposed to be restored by 2066.

Based on materials from techcrunch.com

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Competitors are outraged by the number of SpaceX launches - The Universe. Space. Tech

SpaceXs early morning July 3 Starlink launch included 13 direct-to-cell satellites. Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX now has more than 100 direct-to-cell satellites in orbit after a July 3 Starlink launch.

SpaceX launched the first Starlink sats equipped with direct-to-cell capabilities in January of this year and has quickly ramped up to more than 100. These satellites are designed to communicate directly with unmodified cell phones to provide service outside of cellular networks.

The early morning launch lifted off at 4:55 a.m. ET on July 3 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission carried 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 direct-to-cell satellites.

SpaceX Senior Director Sara Spangelo said on X that commercial service with partner T-Mobile will start in the U.S. this fall. SpaceX has been working with T-Mobile since August 2022 and the satellites use a portion of T-Mobiles mid-band nationwide spectrum to communicate with cell phones.

With over 100 Direct to Cell satellites now launched, and hundreds more planned to be launched this year, excited to provide ubiquitous connectivity to our customers starting withT-Mobile in the U.S. this year, Spangelo said.

A number of satellite operators, telcos, and device manufacturers are pursuing satellite-to-cell connectivity through a number of different partnerships and methods of sharing spectrum. Apple, which uses Globalstars satellites, recently announced it is expanding satellite messaging on the iPhone with iOS 18 beyond just emergency situations, and satellite messaging will be an option when cellular and Wi-Fi connections are not available.

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SpaceX Now Has More Than 100 Direct-to-Cell Satellites in Orbit - Via Satellite

"There are very important wildlife habitats on the base, and it's important that those species have a voice," said Ana Citrin, Gaviota Coast Conservancy legal and policy director.

SpaceX is back in front of the California Coastal Commission after violating the cap on beach closures near Vandenberg Space Force Base.

"There was a 14 per-year limit initially imposed on SpaceX, which they exceeded pretty much right off the bat," Citrin said.

In addition to beach closures, the Gaviota Coast Conservancy is concerned by the increase in launches from Vandenberg, which Citrin says have been doubling.

"We had 28 in 2023, and now we are looking at 50 or more," she explained.

More rockets also have the Surfrider Foundation concerned for the future.

"The rate of increase in launches is just happening so fast that we can't rely on historical data to inform what the impacts will be, so it feels like a big experiment," said Mandy Sackett, Surfrider Foundation policy coordinator.

Concerns about environmental impact, coastal access, and sound and hazardous waste are all things Sackett says need more attention.

"Vandenberg wants to get to 100 launches per year within the next two years, so they're trying to increase extremely rapidly," -Sackett said.

An impact not studied yet is sonic booms, which Sackett says have been heard as southeast as Ojai.

"And we're asking Vandenberg and SpaceX to pump the brakes and just increase at a much slower rate so that the monitoring data on marine life so we can, you know, catch up and understand what those impacts will be," explained Sackett.

Even if a cap is implemented, Citrin says its not enforceable.

"The Coastal Commission doesn't have that permitting authority where they can just say, all right, you violate your permit. You must cease activity because of the relationship between the state agency and the federal agency. Their jurisdiction is different," Citrin said.

But that could change.

"And that's one of the things that the Coastal Commission is currently considering is whether it might be appropriate to exercise their permitting jurisdiction over SpaceX given that SpaceX is a private company and not part of the federal government," Citrin added.

SpaceX has not responded to KSBY's request for comment.

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Environmental groups concerned over increase in SpaceX rocket launches - KSBY News

NOAA expects to see the first images from GOES-19 in September. After completing post-launch check out, NASA will hand GOES-19 over to NOAA, which will validate the satellites data products and drift GOES-19 to its operational position at 75.2 degrees west longitude. NOAA plans for GOES-19 to take over as the operational GOES-East satellite in April 2025, replacing GOES-16. GOES-16 will become the on-orbit standby satellite.

GOES-19 will track severe storms, hurricanes, wildfires, lightning, fog and other hazards that threaten most of North America, including the contiguous United States, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. The satellite will also monitor solar activity and space weather to provide early warnings of disruptions to power grids, communications, and navigation systems. Onboard GOES-19 is a new instrument, the Compact Coronagraph-1 (CCOR), which will support NOAAs Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) mission.

CCOR-1 will image the solar corona (the outer layer of the suns atmosphere) and help detect and characterize coronal mass ejections (CMEs), large expulsions of plasma and accompanying magnetic field from the corona, which are the primary cause of geomagnetic storms. CCOR-1 will be the nations first operational coronagraph and will serve as the primary source for information about impending geomagnetic storm conditions, allowing the Space Weather Prediction Center to issue warnings one to four days in advance.

View video of the GOES-U launch.

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NOAAs GOES-U Reaches Geostationary Orbit, Now Designated GOES-19 - nesdis

Update for 9:58 a.m. ET: SpaceX successfully launched Starship on its third integrated test flight. Read our full coverage here.

SpaceX is set to perform the third orbital test of its Starship rocket on Thursday (March 14), and you can watch the event for free online.

Standing over 400 feet (122 meters) tall, this huge rocket consists of two parts. The first is a stainless steel, reusable upper stage that's known also as "Starship," and the second is a Super Heavy first-stage booster. Starship is currently the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Its ultimate aim is to help astronauts journey to the moon, and eventually Mars, as they embark on more sustained space missions and perhaps start creating settlements on the alien worlds.

SpaceX said on Wednesday (March 13) that Thursday's launch window will be 110 minutes long and will open at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), but early Thursday the company said it is now targeting 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT) for the liftoff. The company will stream the event beginning at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT). A livestream of the rocket's test will also be available to watch on Space.com's YouTube channel here.

Related: SpaceX eyes March 14 for 3rd Starship test flight

"The third flight test aims to build on what we've learned from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship's payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stages coast phase, the first ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship," SpaceX wrote on its Starship mission website. "It will also fly a new trajectory, with Starship targeted to splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety."

These objectives make this third flight of Starship more ambitious than the rocket's previous two flights.

Starship flew its first mission from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas in April 2023. This launch ended after the rocket's two stages failed to separate, and it intentionally detonated just four minutes after blast-off.

The second flight of Starship in November 2023 was marginally more successful, with the space vehicle achieving a nominal first-stage engine burn and its two stages separating on schedule.Around eight minutes after launch, however, the rocket exploded during a venting of liquid oxygen. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said that this explosion wouldn't have happened if Starship had been carrying a payload on the second flight because, in that scenario, it wouldn't have been hauling liquid oxygen.

Prior to the third test flight of Starship, SpaceXperformed a critical fueling testat its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. During the test, over 10 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen were poured into the rocket.

"Starship Flight 3 is preparing for launch," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a post on X, along with accompanying photos of the fueling test.

Editor's note: This story was updated on March 14 at 8:30 a.m. with a new 9:25 a.m. EDT launch time for SpaceX's Starship Flight 3.

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How to watch SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test live online today - Space.com

Update for 9:58 a.m. ET: SpaceX successfully launched Starship on its third integrated test flight. Read our full coverage here.

SpaceX is hoping to launch its first Starship test of 2024 as early as Thursday (March 14) in what it hopes will be a historic orbital flight of the world's biggest rocket, and if you need to know when to watch it online, you're in the right place.

SpaceX is targeting March 14 for the launch from its Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. The announced on X that Starship has a 110-minute window on Thursday, with liftoff targeted for 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT), about 30 minutes in.

The company will webcast the launch attempt, beginning at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT). You can watch the livestream here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX. There is a 70% chance of good weather at launch time, SpaceX has said.

Related: See our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look

SpaceX's Starship vehicle and its Super Heavy booster are the world's tallest and most powerful rocket. When stacked together, they stand 400 feet tall (122 meters), with the first stage powered by 33 Raptor engines, while the Starship upper stage carries six Raptors.

SpaceX has designed the Starship launch system to be fully reusable and hopes to use it for deep-space exploration, heavy-lift launches and space tourism. The company has already sold two private trips around the moon on Starship, with NASA picking Starship to land its Artemis 3 astronauts on the moon by 2026. But first, SpaceX has to prove its Starship can reach orbit, let alone the moon, and has failed to do so in two previous attempts in April and November of 2023. Here's what we know about Flight 3, SpaceX's third Starship test launch.

Today, SpaceX is targeting March 14 at 9:25 a.m. EDT (8:25 a.m. CDT/1325 GMT) for its third Starship test flight. That's about 30 minutes into a 110-minute launch window that opens at 8 a.m. EDT. The company will air a livestream of the liftoff, beginning at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT ) on March 14.

SpaceX's first Starship test flight launched on April 20, 2023 but never reached space. It was intentionally destroyed after its two stages failed to separate. A second test flight on Nov. 18 did manage to reach space, but not its target altitude. The Super Heavy booster separated successfully from the Starship upper stage, but both vehicles eventually were destroyed shortly after stage separation.

"Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test," SpaceX wrote in a Flight 3 mission description. "They aren't occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning."

Related: How to watch SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test online

Yes, you can watch SpaceX's third Starship launch online, and you'll likely have a few options by which to do so.

SpaceX will provide a livestream of the Starship launch on its @SpaceX account on X (formerly Twitter), starting 30 minutes before liftoff that is, at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT).

But, and this is very important, SpaceX's plans could change.

"As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our X account for updates," the company wrote in a mission overview.

SpaceX's livestream of the Starship Flight 3 launch will also be carried by Space.com on YouTube and will be embedded at the top of this page.

You can also find several independent livestreams of SpaceX's Starship launch that should include live commentary and views.

One site we like to follow is NASASpaceflight.com, which offers regular daily livestreams of Starship testing activities at the Starbase facility. The site will have extensive YouTube livestream coverage, likely beginning in the hours before SpaceX's own webcast. Another option is Everyday Astronaut, which provides live Starship launch coverage and commentary as well.

If you happen to be in the Boca Chica, Texas area and are hoping to view the launch in person, you have several options.

There is no official SpaceX viewing site, but you can pick from several public beach areas from which you can see the launch. The nearby South Padre Island offers clear views of the rocket from the shoreline around Cameron County Amphitheater and Isla Blanca Park. Similar viewing areas can be found around the nearby shore of Port Isabel and the surrounding areas.

I actually watched Starship Flight 1 launch in April 2023 from the South Padre Island shore near Cameron County Amphitheater, and it does offer unobstructed views, with crowds lining the beach and on boats in the harbor. However, you will want to bring a folding beach chair, water and sunscreen. (There are bathrooms on site.)

Wherever you opt to watch the launch from, plan to arrive very early as traffic can cause lengthy delays reaching observing sites.

The first two Starship test flights were designed to last 90 minutes, with the Starship vehicle reaching orbital speeds (if not actually entering orbit) and then returning to Earth with a reentry and splashdown off the coast of Hawaii.

Things may happen more quickly on Flight 3. SpaceX's mission description says that Starship's upper stage will splash down about 65 minutes after liftoff, if all goes according to plan.

There will be other differences as well.

"The third flight test aims to build on what weve learned from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship's payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage's coast phase, the first ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship," SpaceX wrote in its mission description. "It will also fly a new trajectory, with Starship targeted to splash down in the Indian Ocean. This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety."

Related: SpaceX to push the envelope on 3rd Starship launch

SpaceX's first Starship flight aimed to reach an altitude of 146 miles (234 kilometers) while traversing a flight path that aimed to splash down in the Pacific Ocean about 140 miles (225 km) from the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The second flight path was largely the same.

While Starship aims for a different splashdown zone on Flight 3, the Super Heavy booster is still expected to make a soft landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, miles offshore from Boca Chica Beach.

If SpaceX is unable to launch on March 14, the company will likely make sure it has at least one or two backup days handy.

Officials with Cameron County, the Texas county that is home to SpaceX's Starbase facility, have released a beach closure advisory that suggests road closures around Starbase through March 16, hinting at possible backup dates. SpaceX has not set a specific range for launch dates, however.

Any second launch attempt would likely depend on how far into the fueling process SpaceX gets for Flight 3's first try. SpaceX has said it can take up to several days to resupply its propellant depot for a Starship launch, since the massive rocket and booster consume more than 10 million pounds of super-chilled liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant.

If Space delays Flight 3 due to a technical glitch or malfunction, the timing of a new attempt would likely hinge on how long it takes to address the issue.

Editor's note: This story was updated on March 14 at 8:30 a.m. with a new 9:25 a.m. EDT launch time for SpaceX's Starship Flight 3.

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What time is SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test on today? - Space.com

SpaceX's Starship rocket just reached orbit for the very first time, but now it's gotten lost upon reentry.

The giant rocket the biggest and most powerful ever built blasted off from its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday (March 14) at 9:25 a.m. EDT (1:25 p.m. GMT), entering the stratosphere just minutes later with a record-breaking 16.5 million pounds (7.5 million kilograms) of thrust. Standing 394 feet (120 meters) tall, Starship can carry 10 times the payload of SpaceX's current Falcon 9 rockets.

The launch is the rocket's third test flight, and its first one to reach orbit; the previous two ended in dramatic explosions of the craft's 33-engine Super Heavy booster rocket that culminated in an environmental lawsuit. After conducting a number of maneuvers during the spacecraft's hour-long flight in orbit, mission control reportedly lost contact with Starship as it reentered Earth's atmosphere somewhere over the Indian Ocean.

Starship likely broke up or exploded over the ocean, SpaceX confirmed.

"The team has made the call that the ship has been lost, so no splashdown today," Dan Huot, SpaceX's communications manager, said during the company's livestream of the launch. "But again, just it's incredible to see how much further we got this time around."

Related: Controversial paper claims satellite 'megaconstellations' like SpaceX's could weaken Earth's magnetic field and cause 'atmospheric stripping.' Should we be worried?

"Starship reached orbital velocity!" Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX wrote in a post on X, formerly called Twitter, shortly after the successful launch. "Congratulations SpaceX team!!"

Once the rocket was in flight, mission engineers completed a number of tests, including re-lighting its engines in space and opening its payload door, before steering the craft back to splash down in the Indian Ocean. However, during reentry, the team lost contact with Starlink SpaceX's satellite internet service and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System that it uses to keep an eye on its rockets.

SpaceX intends to use future versions of Starship to transport crews, spacecraft, satellites and cargo to various locations in the solar system both for its own purposes and on behalf of NASA. The U.S. space agency is slated to use Starship's Human Landing System to transport humans to the moon's surface for the first time since 1972, for the upcoming Artemis 3 and 4 missions.

Starship is designed primarily with cheap and efficient manufacturing in mind, using inexpensive stainless steel for its construction and methane which SpaceX says can be collected on Mars to power the rocket. It is designed to be reusable and can carry a payload of up to 275 tons (250 metric tons) in its non-reusable state, around 10 times that of SpaceX's current Falcon 9 rockets.

SpaceX doesn't appear to be too concerned about its misplaced rocket and often states that failures during early test phases are normal.

"Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test," SpaceX said in a statement released before the launch. "They aren't occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning."

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SpaceX's incredibly powerful Starship lost in the Indian Ocean after reaching orbit for 1st time - Livescience.com

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday granted SpaceX a license that allows the company to launch its massive Starship rocket again, possibly as early as 8 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, though weather at its South Texas facilities could force a delay.

The flight would be the third attempt to reach orbit for the worlds most powerful rocket, a towering two-stage vehicle that NASA intends to use to land astronauts on the moon. During the first test flight, in April of last year, the vehicle blew up its launchpad, started tumbling after liftoff and eventually exploded. SpaceX which follows an iterative approach to the development of its systems, allowing them to fail and then trying again quickly flew a second attempt in November that showed improvement, though the rocket self-destructed before reaching orbit.

The vehicle, collectively called Starship, comprised the Super Heavy booster and a spacecraft that sits on top. It is designed to be fully reusable, landing back at its launch site. NASA is investing about $4 billion into the system and intends to use it for the first human landings on the moon since the Apollo era.

In a statement, SpaceX said that the 110-minute launch window would open at 8 a.m. Eastern and that its webcast would go live about 30 minutes before.

On Starships last flight, upgrades to the launchpad, including a water suppression system, allowed it to survive the violence of takeoff, when all of the rockets 33 first-stage engines successfully ignited. The vehicle made it through stage separation, and the upper-stage engines fired as well. But as the booster started to ignite 13 of its engines to fly the rocket back to Earth, one engine failed, quickly cascading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly, the phrase SpaceX uses to describe a loss of vehicle. The spacecraft was lost after a leak led to a fire and its autonomous onboard flight termination system destroyed the vehicle.

After the flight, the FAA oversaw SpaceXs investigation and said in February that it had accepted the companys report. As a result, the FAA required SpaceX to complete 17 corrective actions, including hardware redesigns, updates to engine-control algorithms and the installation of fire protection measures.

SpaceX said that upgrades derived from the flight test will debut on the next Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. It added in a subsequent statement that each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They arent occurring in a lab or on a test stand but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.

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SpaceXs Starship gets FAA approval for third test flight - The Washington Post