The spacecraft reached orbit despite losing an engine in the vacuum of space.
En el eterno intento humano por alcanzar lo que está más allá del horizonte, SpaceX completó el viernes el duodécimo vuelo de prueba de su Starship V3 desde Starbase, en el sur de Texas, logrando llegar al espacio y desplegar 22 satélites antes de amerizar en el Océano Índico. A pesar del fallo de un motor Raptor que impidió una maniobra controlada, la misión avanzó lo suficiente como para ser considerada un paso hacia adelante en un programa que carga sobre sus hombros el peso de los sueños lunares de la humanidad. La NASA, que depende de esta nave para llevar astronautas a la Luna en el marco del programa Artemis, observa cada prueba con la paciencia de quien sabe que el camino hacia lo desconocido rara vez es recto.
- Un motor Raptor que no logró reencenderse en el vacío frustró la maniobra de descenso controlado, el objetivo más ambicioso de la misión.
- El propulsor Super Heavy cayó sin control en el Golfo de México, sumándose a una lista de contratiempos que han sacudido la confianza en el programa.
- Apenas dos meses atrás, una explosión catastrófica diez minutos después del despegue había cerrado el espacio aéreo sobre Florida y el Caribe, poniendo en duda la viabilidad del proyecto.
- Aun así, el despliegue exitoso de 20 satélites Starlink y 2 satélites experimentales avanzados demostró que la nave puede operar en órbita incluso bajo condiciones adversas.
- La misión lunar Artemis, que dependía de Starship para finales de 2026, ha sido postergada a mediados de 2027, mientras Blue Origin presiona desde atrás con su sistema Blue Moon.
- SpaceX avanza, pero el reloj de la NASA sigue corriendo y ningún plan alternativo está listo para tomar su lugar.
El viernes, SpaceX lanzó por primera vez en el año su Starship en configuración V3 desde Starbase, en el sur de Texas, tras haber abortado el intento el día anterior por problemas técnicos. Esta versión representa la nave más grande y poderosa que la compañía de Elon Musk ha construido hasta la fecha. La etapa superior alcanzó el espacio y desplegó con éxito 20 satélites Starlink y 2 satélites experimentales de nueva tecnología, exactamente según lo planeado.
Sin embargo, uno de los seis motores Raptor no logró reencenderse en el vacío, según informó el portavoz Dan Huot durante la transmisión en vivo. Ese reencendido era un objetivo central de la misión, y su fallo impidió que la nave ejecutara el descenso controlado que los ingenieros esperaban demostrar. El propulsor Super Heavy, por su parte, se separó minutos después del despegue y cayó sin control en el Golfo de México. Finalmente, la etapa superior amerizó en el Océano Índico sin haber logrado un aterrizaje guiado.
A pesar de los contratiempos, la misión fue considerada un avance. Llegó apenas dos meses después de que el vuelo de marzo de 2025 terminara en una explosión catastrófica a los diez minutos de vuelo, un episodio que había sembrado dudas profundas sobre la confiabilidad del programa. El vuelo del viernes, con todas sus imperfecciones, sugirió que la compañía había superado ese momento crítico.
Lo que está en juego va mucho más allá de los objetivos de SpaceX. La NASA ha comprometido el uso de Starship Block 3 para el alunizaje tripulado del programa Artemis, misión que ya fue postergada a mediados de 2027. La agencia espacial no cuenta con ningún vehículo alternativo listo, mientras Blue Origin y su sistema Blue Moon avanzan desde atrás. La carrera por regresar al ser humano a la Luna se ha convertido, en la práctica, en una competencia entre dos empresas privadas de la que depende el futuro de la exploración espacial.
SpaceX's Starship completed its twelfth test flight on Friday, reaching orbit, deploying two dozen satellites, and then ditching in the Indian Ocean—a mission that achieved its primary objectives despite a critical engine failure that prevented the spacecraft from executing a planned maneuver in the vacuum of space.
The launch from Starbase in South Texas came after the company scrubbed an attempt the previous afternoon due to technical problems. When the rocket finally lifted off, it marked the first test flight of the year and the debut of the V3 configuration, the largest and most powerful version of the vehicle that Elon Musk's company has built to date. The upper stage, known as Starship, successfully reached space and released 20 Starlink satellites along with two advanced test satellites equipped with new technology, exactly as planned. But then something went wrong. One of the six Raptor engines failed to reignite in the vacuum above Earth, according to SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot during the live broadcast. That engine restart was a key objective for the mission, and its failure meant the spacecraft could not perform the controlled descent that engineers had hoped to demonstrate.
The booster stage, called Super Heavy, separated from Starship minutes after launch and made an uncontrolled landing in the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage continued on its trajectory before eventually splashing down in the Indian Ocean. Neither vehicle achieved a controlled landing, yet the mission still accomplished enough to be counted as progress. The deployment of the satellites proceeded without incident, and the vehicle's ability to reach space and function in orbit, even with the engine problem, represented a step forward for a program that has suffered serious setbacks in recent months.
The most recent test flight, conducted in March 2025, ended in a catastrophic explosion just ten minutes after launch, forcing airspace closures over Florida and the Caribbean. That failure had raised questions about the reliability of the entire program. Friday's flight, despite its shortcomings, suggested the company had moved past that crisis.
The stakes for Starship extend far beyond SpaceX's own ambitions. NASA has committed to using the Block 3 version of Starship to land astronauts on the Moon as part of the Artemis program. That mission was originally scheduled for late 2026 but has now been pushed back to mid-2027, partly because of delays in the rocket's development. The space agency is watching Starship's progress closely, knowing that no alternative vehicle is ready to take on that role. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's aerospace company, has proposed its Blue Moon system as a competitor, but it remains further behind in development. The race to return humans to the lunar surface has become a race between two private companies and their respective rockets, with NASA dependent on their success.
Notable Quotes
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot confirmed during the live broadcast that one of the Raptor engines failed to reignite in the vacuum of space, preventing a key objective of the mission from being achieved.— Dan Huot, SpaceX
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
So they lost an engine in space but still called it a success. How does that work?
Because they separated the mission into layers of success. The satellite deployment—that was the core objective, and it worked perfectly. Twenty Starlink satellites and two advanced test units all released as planned. That's real progress.
But the engine failure—wasn't that supposed to happen?
It was supposed to happen, yes, but it wasn't supposed to fail. They wanted to reignite one of the Raptor engines in the vacuum to test a maneuver. When it didn't light, that was a setback. But it didn't doom the whole flight.
The booster crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. That doesn't sound controlled.
It wasn't. Neither the booster nor the upper stage landed in a controlled way. But after the explosion in March, just getting to orbit and back without catastrophic failure felt like a win. The bar had been lowered by circumstance.
Why does NASA care so much about this particular rocket?
Because they've already committed to using it to land people on the Moon. Artemis depends on Starship Block 3. There's no backup plan. If Starship doesn't work, the lunar landing gets delayed again.
And it's already been delayed.
From late 2026 to mid-2027. And that's partly because of problems like the one they just had. SpaceX is in a race against time and against Blue Origin, and every test flight matters.