SpaceX Loses Contact with Starship After Second Consecutive Test Failure

Nearly two months after a fiery explosion scattered debris over the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another Starship rocket on Thursday, only to lose contact minutes into the flight as the spacecraft spiraled out of control. The 403-foot mega rocket lifted off from Texas just before sunset. SpaceX successfully retrieved the first-stage booster using its giant mechanical arms, but trouble arose when engines on the upper-stage spacecraft began shutting down mid-flight.

The vehicle, intended for a controlled descent into the Indian Ocean, instead fell into an uncontrolled spin, and SpaceX lost contact as it tumbled back toward Earth. "Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now," SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot said from the launch site. Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.



This is a developing news article and will be updated as more information is available..