After its third failed mission - what next for SpaceX?

SpaceX recently conducted the third test flight of its massive Starship rocket from Texas, aiming to build on the lessons learned from two previous failed launches earlier this year. Starship is an ambitious spacecraft made up of two main parts: the upper section called the Ship and the lower booster known as Super Heavy. Together, they stand over 120 meters tall, making it the most powerful rocket ever built. The goal of Starship is to eventually carry humans to Mars and support NASA's Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon.

The launch began successfully, with the rocket lifting off and the booster firing as planned. However, shortly after the booster separated from the Ship, the spacecraft began to spin uncontrollably. SpaceX commentators explained that the rocket lost its attitude control, meaning it could no longer maintain its proper orientation in space. The mission ended with what SpaceX called a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly,' a polite way of saying the rocket broke apart. Despite this, the flight marked progress because the booster used had flown before, showing steps toward SpaceX's goal of fully reusable rockets.

Experts like Dr Jonathan McDowell from Harvard noted that while the rocket completed its main engine burn, problems started when contact was lost with the booster, which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico instead of landing safely. The Ship also failed to deploy its mock satellites due to a stuck payload door. These issues highlight the challenges of developing new space technology. SpaceX follows a 'fail fast, learn fast' approach, treating failures as opportunities to improve. However, some engineers caution that Starship's high costs and ambitious goals mean that safety and reliability must become top priorities as development continues.