SpaceX fails to recover Starship booster during test flight
14.11.2026
SpaceX suffered a setback during another test flight of its giant Starship rocket on Friday when its lower stage splashed down in the sea and burst into flames instead of being caught by the launch tower as planned.
The company, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, had hoped to catch both stages of the rocket using mechanical arms attached to the launch tower for the first time.
However, the lower stage, known as the Super Heavy booster, made a controlled splashdown shortly after lifting off from the Starbase launch site in southern Texas.
SpaceX did not immediately say what caused the failed recovery attempt. The company had successfully caught the booster during three previous test flights.
Upper stage continues mission
The upper stage, also known as Starship, entered Earth orbit after separating from the booster and deployed satellites for Musk's Starlink internet service.
It is expected to complete around 14 orbits over roughly 24 hours before returning to the launch site, where SpaceX plans to catch it using the tower's mechanical arms. Such a recovery has never been attempted before.
During its previous test flight in September, Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time before making a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Standing around 120 metres tall, Starship is the largest rocket system ever built, with both stages designed to be reusable.
NASA plans to use Starship to send astronauts to the moon, while SpaceX hopes eventually to reach Mars.
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