A qualification test of a Raptor 2 engine has resulted in a dramatic explosion at SpaceX’s McGregor facility. The company has yet to comment on the incident, but it’s unlikely to affect the upcoming fourth test launch of the Starship megarocket.
Starship flew faster and longer than ever before on Thursday, but with both stages lost during the mission, there’s clearly much more progress to be made. Here’s our detailed breakdown of Integrated Flight Test 3 and what happens next.
Moving swiftly and learning through failure, SpaceX says it’s already looking ahead to version 2 of the Starship upper stage.
Starship pierced through clear south Texas skies on Saturday morning, for what turned out to be an eight-minute-long mission. The megarocket failed once again, but SpaceX achieved significant progress in various critical mission objectives.
SpaceX’s latest test flight of the Starship rocket lasted for around eight minutes—twice the length of the previous test. Both the booster and the Starship upper stage were lost, but SpaceX achieved many key milestones during the flight test.
This article has been updated to reflect the new Saturday launch date. Ground teams need the extra time to replace a grid fin actuator on the Starship booster.
Later this week, SpaceX is poised for a highly anticipated, and undoubtedly exciting, second test flight of its Starship megarocket—provided it receives the final regulatory approvals. Here’s what you need to know about this critically important test.