SpaceX aborted an attempt to catch its Starship rocket on Tuesday in a blow to Elon Musk’s Mars ambitions.
The sixth Starship flight test saw SpaceX once again attempt to catch the rocket’s Super Heavy booster using “chopstick” arms at the launch tower at the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
Measuring 120-metres-tall, Starship is the biggest rocket ever built, capable of carrying up to 100 people. SpaceX hopes to use it to ferry crew and cargo across the solar system, aiming to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2050.
Tuesday’s launch was uncrewed, with the failed catch of the booster followed by a successful splashdown of the upper stage Starship rocket in the Indian Ocean. Other objectives for the mission were also completed, including a first in-space burn using a single Raptor engine.
The 30-minute launch window opened at 4pm local time (10pm GMT), with a live stream broadcast beginning 40 minutes before lift-off.
Key points
- Starship launch time set for 4pm local time (10pm GMT)
- Donald Trump to watch Starship launch alongside Elon Musk
- What SpaceX hopes to achieve with today’s Starship launch
- Starship lifts off from Starbase launch site
- SpaceX aborts ‘chopstick’ catch attempt
Watch Starship launch live stream
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:28 , Anthony CuthbertsonA live stream of today’s launch has been provided by SpaceX. You can watch it here:
Hello and welcome...
Tuesday 19 November 2024 16:04 , Anthony Cuthbertsonto The Independent’s live coverage of SpaceX’s latest attempt to launch and land the biggest rocket ever built.
The Starship rocket is currently stacked atop its Super Heavy booster at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
A 30-minute launch window will open at 4pm local time (10pm GMT), with all systems and weather forecasts looking good for lift off.
We’ll have all the latest news and updates right here.
SpaceX says all systems and weather look good for launch
Tuesday 19 November 2024 16:32 , Anthony CuthbertsonSpaceX has shared some photos of Starship on the launchpad at its Starbase facility in Texas. In a post on X, the firm said that everything is looking good for today’s flight test.
One image shows the world’s biggest rocket silhouetted against the Moon, where it could be heading as early as 2026. SpaceX has a multi-billion dollar contract with Nasa to deliver crew and cargo to the lunar surface as part of its Artemis program. If successful, it will be the first time astronauts have stepped foot on the Moon in more than 50 years.
What happened during the last Starship flight test?
Tuesday 19 November 2024 16:54 , Anthony CuthbertsonIt’s only been a month since the last Starship flight test, which saw SpaceX successfully catch the Super Heavy booster rocket using “chopstick arms” on the launch tower for the first time.
“Are you kidding me?” SpaceX’s Dan Huot said from the launch site. “I am shaking right now.”
SpaceX’s Kate Tice added: “This is a day for the engineering history books.”
You can read all about it here:
Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches Starship rocket in astonishing test flight
Trump in Texas to watch Starship launch
Tuesday 19 November 2024 17:45 , Anthony CuthbertsonDonald Trump is reportedly in Texas to watch today’s Starship launch.
Just days after watching UFC 309 and sharing a Mcdonald’s with SpaceX boss Elon Musk, the president-elect is heading to Starbase to witness Flight 6 of Starship.
Musk has been a vocal supporter of Trump since July, pouring more than a hundred million dollars of his own money into the Republican candidate’s campaign. In return, Trump has placed Musk in charge of the yet-to-be-formed Department of Government Efficiency.
A record-extending launch
Tuesday 19 November 2024 18:43 , Anthony CuthbertsonToday’s launch will be 119th rocket that SpaceX has sent to space this year, marking a new record for the private space firm.
It is more than 20 more than the previous record of 96 set last year - and there’s still more than a month left to go of 2024 for SpaceX to push the record even further.
The vast majority of launches have been reused Falcon 9 rockets, proving how vital it is for SpaceX to perfect the landing of Starship today and make it another reusable workhorse for the company. Elon Musk hopes to build a fleet of hundreds of Starships, with multiple launches and landings a day in his mission to colonise Mars.
How Elon Musk became a space superpower
Tuesday 19 November 2024 19:30 , Anthony CuthbertsonAs the head of SpaceX, Elon Musk is not only launching more rockets than most other countries combined, he also now controls two thirds of all active satellites orbiting Earth. (It’s been a while since I updated this chart, but gives you an idea of his influence.)
All this power in the hands of the world’s richest person has led to increasing concerns from astronomers and advocacy groups. Through SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, he has the ability to skirt internet bans - like the one imposed on his other company X in Brazil earlier this year - and even impact the outcome of wars through its use by militaries fighting in Ukraine.
“There are concerns, especially when it comes to national sovereignty,” Paula Bernardi, a Sao Paolo-based internet policy adviser, told me in September. “It is concerning, for example, that one person could make the decision to take down the service for hundreds of thousands of people.”
You can read more about how Musk is taking over space here:
Elon Musk’s is monopolising space – this is why it’s causing alarm
What is SpaceX hoping to achieve with today’s launch
Tuesday 19 November 2024 20:38 , Anthony CuthbertsonSpaceX’s sixth Starship flight test is only an hour and a half away - so what are we going to see?
Objectives include the Super Heavy booster returning to the launch site for a “chopsticks” catch, reigniting a ship Raptor engine while in space, and testing a suite of heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for ship reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean.
Starship’s upper stage will fly the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean.
Here’s a diagram of what it should look like:
Man arrested for trespassing on SpaceX facility
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:21 , Anthony CuthbertsonA man has been arrested for allegedly trespassing on SpaceX property, according to local media reports.
The 40-year-old man managed to bypass security measures to enter SpaceX’s facilities in Brownsville, Texas, but was detained after security officers alerted police.
The incident won’t have any impact on today’s launch attempt.
Propellant load of Starship’s Super Heavy booster underway
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:27 , Anthony CuthbertsonSpaceX has just confirmed that propellent load of Starship’s Super Heavy booster is underway.
It’s T-minus 30 minutes until launch.
SpaceX plans to build a new Starship ‘every eight hours'
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:37 , Anthony CuthbertsonElon Musk has previously spoken of his ambition to build a fleet of hundreds of Starships every year in order to ferry thousands of people throughout the solar system.
SpaceX has just revealed that it is currently in the process of hiring engineers to meet its goal of building a new Starship rocket “every eight hours”. This is an unprecedented task, with each rocket measuring 121 metres.
It is the biggest rocket ever built - here’s how Starship stacks up against other massive rockets.
Musk welcomes Trump to Texas
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:41 , Anthony CuthbertsonWe’re getting the first images of SpaceX boss Elon Musk welcoming President-elect Donald Trump to watch today’s launch.
It is not the first SpaceX launch that Trump has attended, having previously watched the firm’s first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, during his first presidential term.
The pair weren’t so close as they are now, with Musk hoping that his strong support for Trump during his campaign will translate into favourable regulation and government funding for his Mars ambitions.
SpaceX says to expect problems
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:51 , Anthony CuthbertsonWith just 10 minutes to go until launch, there’s already more than 1.5 million people watching the live stream.
It should be a similar sight to Starship Flight 5 last month, though SpaceX has warned that it will be pushing the craft to its limit in order to intentionally discover any potential issues with the rocket.
“We’d much rather find the bugs and limits now during testing [rather] than later when there’s more on the line,” says SpaceX’s commentator.
BREAKING: SpaceX launches Starship rocket
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:00 , Anthony CuthbertsonWe have lift off for Starship Flight 6!
Starship stage separation complete
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:04 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe two stages of the Starship rocket have successfully separated - which has been a problem in the past.
The Super Heavy booster is now on its way back to Earth, while the main Starship rocket continues into space.
‘No go for the catch'
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:07 , Anthony CuthbertsonSpaceX has said it will not be attempting to catch the Super Heavy booster with the launch tower chopsticks.
“The safety of the teams and the public and the pad itself are paramount, so we’re accepting no compromises in those areas,” SpaceX says.
I wonder if the presence of the next president of the United States in the vicinity had any influence on that decision.
Super Heavy booster rocket splashes down in Gulf of Mexico
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:30 , Anthony CuthbertsonAfter the aborted catch attempt at the launch tower, the Super Heavy booster instead ended up splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.
The main Starship rocket is still on its way around the planet, set to attempt to splash down in the Indian Ocean in around 35 minutes.
SpaceX prepares for Starship reentry
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:43 , Anthony CuthbertsonSpaceX is minutes away from attempting the Starship reentry. After that it will perform a flip manoeuvre before carrying out a soft splash down into the Indian Ocean.
If it’s anything like the previous attempts, it will be an impressive sight and a significant test of the craft’s heat shields.
SpaceX warns of ‘whack-a-doodle stuff'
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:58 , Anthony Cuthbertson“Don’t be surprised if we see some whack-a-doodle stuff here,” SpaceX says over the live stream, warning viewers that it will be testing Starship to its limits during its reentry.
‘We’re looking good so far'
Tuesday 19 November 2024 23:06 , Anthony CuthbertsonStarship has reentered Earth’s atmosphere and is now passing back through the clouds before attempting a splash down.
BREAKING: Starship splashes down successfully
Tuesday 19 November 2024 23:08 , Anthony CuthbertsonStarship has successfully completed its splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
This is how it looked coming in:
Starship on fire
Tuesday 19 November 2024 23:10 , Anthony CuthbertsonStarship now appears to be on fire as it bobs on the surface of the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX had already said that it did not expect to recover the rocket, so it won’t be too concerned by a few flames after such a smooth splash down.
