SpaceX Starship Test Fails After Texas Launch

Friday, January 17, 2025

The latest test of Space X's giant Starship rocket has failed, minutes after launch. Officials at Elon Musk's company said the upper stage was lost after problems developed after lift-off from Texas on Thursday. The mission came hours after the first flight of the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket system, backed by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. The two tech billionaires both want to dominate the space vehicle market.

Posted by REDIAL at 07:33 AM | 10 COMMENTS | permalink

A SpaceX spokesperson has confirmed that the Starship is lost and did not survive the launch. Follow live updates.

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-- CNN (@cnn.com) January 16, 2025 at 6:15 PM

Comments

Hopefully, the telemetry provided the information they need to be more successful in the future.

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-16 11:19 PM

"But the Super Heavy booster managed to return to its launchpad as planned, prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams."

OMG! They applauded, was Elon Musk in the room? Had that been a manned launch the crew would all be dead. That launch was a dismal failure. The recovery of the booster doesn't change that fact.

#2 | Posted by danni at 2025-01-17 08:14 AM

Great.

Absurd amounts of money spent improving technology that will never be practical for its intended use.

#3 | Posted by Angrydad at 2025-01-17 08:26 AM

prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams.

It's all marketing BS. That happens every launch I've watched from SpaceX.

Contrast that to footage from mission control from NASA launches and it's night and day. No phony cheering and applause to add fake gravitas to the situation. Just a smile on their face as they know they've actually done something and that there's more work to be done.

#4 | Posted by jpw at 2025-01-17 09:42 AM

Prototypes/Beta Mode and that how it's done folks. Even in one's personal life, the smart ones learn form their mistakes- but then there are liberals..... ; )

#5 | Posted by MSgt at 2025-01-17 05:48 PM

Had it been NASA you would have been first in line to excoriate them.

#6 | Posted by mattm at 2025-01-17 05:54 PM

Too bad he wasn't on it.

#7 | Posted by HeeHaw at 2025-01-17 11:13 PM

Fast iterative design applied to spaceships is a novel approach.

Put the Blue Origin upper on the Starship lower and now we're cookin'.

#8 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2025-01-18 12:53 PM

They probably learned more from this failure in less time than NASA learned from it's failures.

This is how the private sector works.

#9 | Posted by boaz at 2025-01-18 01:00 PM

They probably learned more from this failure in less time than NASA learned from it's failures.