Ship 33 and Booster 14 lifted off at 4:37 PM CST from Starbase, Texas, for the seventh test flight of SpaceX’s Starship program. Following a clean liftoff and ascent from the Orbital Launch Pad at Starbase, Booster 14 and Ship 33 successfully separated, with Booster 14 returning to the launch site and being caught by the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms. Booster 14’s successful landing marked the second time SpaceX successfully recovered one of its Super Heavy boosters, with the first successful landing occurring on Starship’s fifth flight test in October.
Ship 33 successfully ignited its six engines following stage separation and continued to space. However, shortly after Booster 14’s catch, Ship 33 suffered a rapid unscheduled disassembly and reentered over the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX later shared that a fire developed in the aft section of Ship 33 following stage separation and ultimately led to the Ship’s failure.