太空探索技术公司周四对其星舰运载火箭进行了第七次飞行测试，该公司称其为迄今为止“最有能力”的星舰，也是唯一完全可重复使用的星舰。
对于这个航天巨人来说，这是一个大杂烩，因为他们成功地抓住了返回地球的第一级助推器，但在飞船进入太空时失去了与飞船的通信。
这枚400多英尺长的火箭由33个猛禽发动机提供动力，似乎于美国东部时间下午4点37分从太空探索技术公司位于得克萨斯州布朗斯维尔附近的星际基地的发射台成功发射。
但在任务开始几分钟后，地面控制中心在任务的直播中宣布，它已经失去了与飞船的所有通信。
该公司表示，他们失去了几个引擎和遥测装置，这艘船已经失踪。
试飞任务中没有宇航员。
太空探索技术公司补充说，周四使用的火箭是星舰的新版本。
当星际飞船消失时，超重型第一级助推器成功地执行了一次受控下降回到发射塔，在那里它被发射塔的巨型机械臂抓住。这被认为是任务中最具挑战性的方面之一。
周四的壮举标志着太空探索技术公司第二次能够返回并利用发射塔抓住级助推器。
飞船失联后，美国联邦航空管理局(FAA)短暂宣布，由于太空探索技术公司发射的碎片可能会坠落，它将减缓佛罗里达州及其周围的飞行。
周四，人们在特克斯和凯科斯群岛上空看到了碎片从天而降的镜头。
尽管失败了，太空探索技术公司对星际飞船的未来抱有很高的期望。与猎鹰9号火箭不同，猎鹰9号火箭采用部分可重复使用的设计，多年来一直用于将卫星和宇航员送入轨道，太空探索技术公司表示，Starship将完全可重复使用，最终将包括一个隔热板，可以快速重新部署，无需大量翻新。
太空探索技术公司说，与其他运载火箭相比，Starship可以携带更大的有效载荷，如卫星和货物，并可以支持长时间的月球和潜在的火星任务。
此外，该公司表示，发射系统最终将能够携带多达100人进行长期星际飞行。
太空探索技术公司说，这次试飞引入了重新设计的上面级，增加了改进的隔热罩、增加了推进剂容量和更新了航空电子设备。
该公司表示，更新将提高车辆的可靠性，使更长更复杂的任务。
在这项现已取消的任务中，该航天器计划首次部署10个Starlink卫星模拟器，测试其在太空中运送有效载荷的能力。
模拟器被设置在亚轨道轨道上，计划在印度洋上溅落。
该任务计划测试新材料和设计变化，以提高航天器在重返大气层时的耐热性。
在发布之前，该公司表示，它特意拆除了隔热瓦，以测试车辆的热弹性。
太空探索技术公司计划利用试飞数据来完善未来任务的设计。
SpaceX loses spacecraft after catching rocket booster during test flight
SpaceXconducted the seventh flight test of its Starship launch vehicle on Thursday, which the company called "the most capable" Starship yet -- and the only fully reusable one.
It was a mixed bag for the aerospace giant as they successfully caught the first stage booster upon its return to Earth, but lost communications with the Starship as it headed into space.
The more than 400-foot rocket, powered by 33 Raptor engines, appeared to lift off successfully at 4:37 p.m. CT from SpaceX's launchpad at its Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas.
But minutes into the mission, ground control announced during a live stream of the mission that it had lost all communications with the ship.
The company said they lost several engines and telemetry and that the ship had been lost.
There were no astronauts on board the test flight mission.
SpaceX added that the rocket used Thursday is a new version of the Starship.
While the Starship is lost, the super heavy first-stage booster successfully executed a controlled descent back to the launch tower, where it was caught by the launch tower's giant robotic arms. This is considered one of the most challenging aspects of the mission.
Thursday's feat marked the second time that SpaceX has been able to return and catch the stage booster using the launch tower.
Following the loss of the spacecraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly announced it was slowing flights in and around Florida due to the possibility of falling debris from the SpaceX launch.
Footage of debris falling from the sky was seen over the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday.
Despite the loss, SpaceX has high hopes for the future of the Starship spacecraft. Unlike the Falcon 9 rocket, which has been used for years to carry satellites and astronauts to orbit with a partially reusable design, SpaceX says Starship will be fully reusable and will eventually include a heat shield that can be rapidly redeployed without significant refurbishing.
SpaceX says Starship can carry larger payloads, such as satellites and cargo, than other launch vehicles and can support long-duration missions to the Moon and potentially Mars.
Additionally, the company says the launch system will eventually be capable of carrying up to 100 people on long-duration interplanetary flights.
SpaceX says the test flight introduced a redesigned upper stage with enhancements such as an improved heat shield, increased propellant capacity and updated avionics.
The company says the updates will improve the vehicle's reliability and enable longer more complex missions.
During the mission, which has now been scrapped, the spacecraft planned to deploy 10 Starlink satellite simulators for the first time, testing its ability to deliver payloads in space.
The simulators were set to be placed on a suborbital trajectory, with splashdown planned in the Indian Ocean.
The mission was planning to test new materials and design changes to enhance the spacecraft's heat resistance during reentry.
Ahead of the launch, the company said it purposely removed heat tiles to test the vehicle's heat resiliency.
SpaceX was planning to use the data from the test flight to refine the design for future missions.
