Shortly after the launch of a second test flight, the spaceship was lost

The SpaceX Launch of the High-Mass Starship: The Second Spaceship Launch Test Including a RUD Embedded in the Galactic Nucleus

Before space station could be reached, mission control lost contact with it and stopped receiving data. At about 12 minutes into the flight, SpaceX triggered the automated flight termination system—they had to abort and make the second stage undergo RUD, too.

The craft is likely no longer in range of ground stations, but it is possible the system engaged soon after the engines shut down.

Making it to space was part of the goal for this flight test, with SpaceX hoping for Starship to briefly orbit the Earth and splash down near Hawaii. If the launch did not succeed, it will be a great learning event for NASA and the other parties involved in the program, according to an interview that was published yesterday by Ars Technica.

This marks the second launch attempt for the 397-foot-tall rocket, which uses a two-stage system that separates a few minutes into launch, with the booster intended to set back down.

The Starship flight was pushed back to replace a grid fin, a component of the SuperHeavy booster, that helps guide it to its destination.

As before, today’s launch took place at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The Super Heavy booster stage separation worked as expected, despite all of the 33 Raptor engines appearing to ignite properly. The vehicle survived max q, or the point in its ascent when it’s under the most pressure from the atmosphere and its own velocity. The Super Heavy booster exploded after the spaceship separated, something SpaceX usually refer to as RUD because it happened within three minutes after launch.

“So far today is incredibly successful, even with the RUD of the Super Heavy booster” said Kate Tice, a quality systems engineer at the company.

SpaceX Mission Plan for a Long-Term Mission to the Hawaii Sea: First Test Flight, First Flight, and Final Report to the FAA

The plan was to land the spaceship on the coast of Hawaii at around 8:30 Central time, where it would have reached an altitude of 146 miles.

The first, brief test flight on April 20 “provided numerous lessons learned,” SpaceX officials said in a statement posted on the company’s website on November 10. The April explosion destroyed the launch pad, causing what SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described as a “rock tornado,” and rained debris onto the surrounding area. NASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration collaborated on a bung investigation. The officials from NASA and the US National Transport Safety Board were present. The FAA completed that process on September 8, stating SpaceX had to deal with 63 issues to mitigate debris, redesign vehicle hardware to prevent fires and leaks, and redesign the launch pad before Starship could fly again.