During the last test run 26 In May, SpaceX lost control of the Starship spacecraft after launching into space, which led to uncontrolled re -entry into the atmosphere and the third consecutive mission attempt.
The launch of the unit came from Starbase in Texas O 23:36 UTC. The last seconds of the countdown were delayed due to a malfunction of one of the ground connecting elements.
Mission Flight 9 was intended to avoid problems with the engines, which resulted in the loss of the Starship's upper stage during previous flights in January and March. Six Raptor engines, responsible for the main impulse, worked stably, ensuring the achievement of the planned suborbital trajectory. However, immediately after the end of the engines, slow rotation of the device and leakage of fuel were observed, which was the first alarm signal.
Half an hour after the start, the company confirmed, that there was a problem with the fuel systems, which led to the loss of orientation of the device. This made a controlled re-entry impossible, after which it was decided to passivate the device, releasing the remains of the fuel before its destruction in the upper atmosphere.
Telemetry data stopped coming through 47 minutes after the start, as the Starship entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. Damage to the steering shield was recorded even before the loss of communication.
SpaceX management noted, that the cause of the failure was a drop in pressure in the main fuel tank due to a leak, and also announced plans to accelerate the pace of subsequent launches to approximately one every 3-4 weeks.
Among the mission's planned objectives was to open the cargo bay and drop eight mock-ups of the next-generation Starlink satellites. However, due to incomplete opening of the hatch, these plans were canceled. The launch test of the Raptor engine in space also had to be canceled.
Not all goals were achieved for the Super Heavy accelerator either, which was reused for the first time - it's about Booster 14, which was already used during the Flight mission 7. Despite the planned test without returning to the starting point, the booster was destroyed during the braking maneuver for landing.
Flight 9 became the third consecutive Starship mission, which failed on re-entry. Previous failures were associated with various technical problems of the upper stage of the apparatus.
This failure calls into question the Starship's current readiness for key missions, in particular, landings on the moon as part of the Artemis mission 3, which is scheduled for mid 2027 year.
Despite this, in the space environment note the importance of SpaceX's transparency, which continued to broadcast video even during emergency situations. It, according to experts, is an important step in building a large space economy of the future.
Source: https://spacenews.com/starship-breaks-up-on-reentry-after-loss-of-attitude-control/