SpaceX launched their Starship spacecraft for the second time today after the failure of the first mission last April. Like the first mission, this second mission also ended with the destruction of the Super Heavy rocket and also the Starship. But this time it managed to launch higher before experiencing failure.
Starship and Super Heavy also successfully underwent the first stage separation process. The Super Heavy then suddenly exploded on its way back down to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship then continued its journey to the target altitude but then lost contact with the Starbase and it is also believed to have exploded at the time of writing.
SpaceX says this mission is still seen as a success because all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy fired during launch. On the first mission, seven engines failed to operate due to damage when debris thrown by the engine's power hit them.
All six engines on the Starship also operated for six minutes after separating from the Super Heavy. Telemetry analysis is still being done by SpaceX to see what exactly happened to the Starship that caused it to lose contact with the Starbase.
The Starship is the spacecraft that will be used for the Dear Moon mission and the Artemis Mission to the moon. It needs to be fully tested before it can be used for both of these missions. The Starship failure in April this year led to speculation that the Artemis Mission might be delayed to 2026 – a year later than originally scheduled.