SpaceX commented on Starship's (un)successful launch

SpaceX launched the Starship spacecraft, attached to a Super Heavy rocket, into orbit on 20 April. Alas, the system failed to reach orbit and exploded. The company commented on the incident.

Here's What We Know

Elon Musk said a month ago that Starship has an estimated 50% chance of reaching orbit. The test involved the seventh prototype Super Heavy rocket and the 24th prototype Starship - Booster 7 and Ship 24 respectively.

The first orbital launch was not so much about getting Starship into orbit as about taking off and not blowing up Starbase. SpaceX managed this successfully. The company said the test yielded a lot of new information about the vehicle and ground systems that will improve future flights.

Almost immediately after launch, the rocket system suffered a failure of several Raptor engines, causing it to lose altitude. The craft, which acts as a second stage, was unable to separate from the booster. The explosion occurred at an altitude of about 39 km, after the rocket system did somersaults for a minute in the air over the Gulf of Mexico.