There was a perfect space mission on Thursday — and it wasn't SpaceX.

      Flight VA263 | CSO-3 | Ariane 6 | Liftoff Sequence

      While SpaceX succeeded in launching its massive Starship rocket on Thursday, the upper-stage spacecraft disintegrated shortly after separating from the main-stage Super Heavy booster. This catastrophic failure occurred just two months after the spacecraft experienced a similar incident during another flight test. The previous accident was attributed to fires from propellant leaks caused by unexpected harmonic vibrations, but it is still uncertain if these same factors played a role in the recent failure.

      The inability to complete the second part of Thursday's mission will be a significant disappointment for SpaceX engineers. However, the company noted in a statement following the flight test, “Success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”

      Earlier that day, approximately 3,200 miles southeast of SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Texas, another rocket, the Ariane 6, completed a flawless mission on its second flight after launching from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

      Although the technology in Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket is less complex than that of the next-generation Starship rocket, the launch team will likely be pleased that the rocket’s inaugural commercial mission proceeded so smoothly, successfully placing the CSO-3 Earth observation satellite into orbit for the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French space agency (CNES).

      A video (above) captures the Ariane 6, which features launch thrust comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, departing the launchpad on Thursday. The footage also documents other critical phases of the rocket's flight.

      The two-stage Ariane 6 made its maiden flight in July 2024. Standing at 164 feet (50 meters), the new rocket replaced the Ariane 5, which completed its final flight in July 2023 after several decades of dependable service.

      Reflecting on Thursday’s mission, CNES CEO Lionel Suchet remarked: “I’m delighted at the successful launch of the French defense satellite CSO-3 for CNES and the DGA. This launch success — Ariane 6’s first commercial mission — is excellent news in many respects and clearly showcases European and French excellence in space, benefiting our citizens.”

      Not so long ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)...

      Debris from SpaceX rocket creates fireball over Europe, crashes into yard in Poland

      Yesterday, the skies over Europe were lit up by a spectacular fireball as debris from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket underwent uncontrolled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere and fell into Poland. According to the European Space Agency, the debris originated from a Starlink launch on February 1, with fragments from the rocket's upper stage entering the atmosphere early in the morning on February 19.

      SpaceX just achieved another first with its Falcon 9 rocket

      On Tuesday night, SpaceX conducted a unique Falcon 9 mission, landing the booster in a different country than its launch site. The spaceflight company shared footage of this achievement on the social media platform X.

      A SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets into the record books

      A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has made history by launching and landing a record 26 times. Booster 1067 took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday, successfully delivering 21 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. Around eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX shared videos of this record-setting 26th flight.