The launch this morning was indeed a tense moment. At 6:48 a.m. Beijing time on November 14, SpaceX’s Starship conducted its 15th test flight, lifting off from Boca Chica, Texas, with the goal of making history—recovering both the booster and spacecraft via the "chopsticks" mechanism at the launch tower. However, Booster 22 triggered an off-course diversion procedure just before landing, ultimately crashing into the Gulf of Mexico and detonating into a massive fireball.
According to live commentary from SpaceX, after completing hot staging and turning around for return, one of the Raptor 3 engines on the booster failed to reignite during the landing burn phase. The flight control computer assessed the situation within hundreds of milliseconds and determined that the conditions for tower capture were not met. It promptly aborted the return trajectory and redirected the vehicle toward the Gulf of Mexico. Remote footage showed the 30-story-high stainless steel structure decelerating and hovering above the sea surface before self-destructing upon water impact, resulting in a large explosion. It is important to clarify that this was not an uncontrolled crash but a controlled disposal: the flight system actively abandoned the tower capture attempt and guided the booster to a designated area for destruction, thereby mitigating risks to the launch tower and surrounding zones.
Although the booster was lost, the spacecraft S42 performed remarkably well. All six Raptor engines operated normally throughout the flight, successfully achieving a low Earth orbit at an altitude of 275 kilometers. Subsequently, it deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites—three of which carried panoramic high-speed cameras specifically designed to capture close-up imagery of the underside thermal protection tiles while in orbit. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for approximately 22 hours, completing 14 revolutions around Earth. It is expected to attempt a return landing around 5:15 a.m. Beijing time on November 15, where the same launch tower’s mechanical arm will attempt to capture it—a first for Starship.
It must be acknowledged that SpaceX’s Starship technology remains technologically advanced. China, by comparison, still has significant ground to cover. This test flight delivered a mixed result. The setback lies in the failure of the V3 booster’s first flight to achieve engine reignition, highlighting ongoing reliability challenges in the new configuration. The positive outcome, however, is the flawless performance of the spacecraft, successful deployment of Starlink V3, and the upcoming critical event: the orbital recovery attempt. While the loss of the booster is regrettable, SpaceX’s development approach has never relied on a single success; rather, it is built on rapid iteration through failure and swift correction. Whether the spacecraft can be captured by the mechanical arm tomorrow morning is now the true focal point of this mission.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881821730486348/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.