SpaceX Starship mega rocket launches successfully but is lost on re-entry

SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully reached orbit and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in its third test flight, but the spacecraft was lost on re-entry.

SpaceX’s next-generation mega rocket launched Thursday morning, thundering into orbit on a key test flight meant to demonstrate new technologies and techniques that will be crucial on future missions to the moon and beyond.

The flight, held on the 22nd anniversary of SpaceX's founding, was the rocket’s third and most ambitious such test, according to the company. The event was closely watched because the nearly 400-foot-tall booster, known as Starship, is expected to play an important part in NASA’s return-to-the-moon program.

The rocket lifted off at 9:25 a.m. ET from SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas. On this outing, SpaceX achieved two major milestones over previous Starship tests: The spacecraft successfully reached orbit, then re-entered Earth’s atmosphere for the first time more than 40 minutes later.

“This is the furthest and fastest that Starship has ever flown,” SpaceX officials said during their live broadcast of the event.

However, data suggests the spacecraft was lost while it returned to Earth, before it reached the splashdown in the Indian Ocean that SpaceX had hoped for.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-starship-third-test-launch-thursday-rcna143286

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