Starbase, Texas - SpaceX's Starship blasted off Friday for a key test of the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, with plans to carry out the first-ever "catch" of both the booster and the spaceship. However, things didn't go exactly as the company had hoped.
The 407-foot rocket roared into the sky over South Texas for a mission that marks a milestone in the space industry's decades-long pursuit of fully reusable rocket systems.
SpaceX, however, aborted recovery, or "catch," of the booster of its powerful Starship rocket, citing a technical issue, sending the so-called Super Heavy into the Gulf of Mexico.
During the SpaceX livestream of the launch on X, one of the speakers said it "certainly Isn't the news that we had hoped to hear for today. However, that is in line with the rigorous safety checks we have ... to ensure safety."
Elon Musk has yet to issue any public comment about the launch and the aborted recovery of the Super Heavy booster.
SpaceX had said it would only proceed with the maneuvers if conditions were optimal.
Musk's company had been hoping to achieve the first-ever "catch" of both the booster and the spaceship, something that has been called the "holy grail" of space travel.