LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX launched the seventh test flight of its giant Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost communication with its spacecraft shortly after launch.
Starship took off from the company's Starbase facility near Brownsville in the U.S. state of Texas at about 4:07 p.m. Central Time.
Shortly after the launch, Starship's Raptor engines ignited during hot-staging separation. The rocket's Super Heavy booster successfully returned to launch site, and repeated "chopsticks" catch -- catching the returning booster using mechanical "chopsticks," called "Mechazilla," on the launch tower.
But the Starship spacecraft lost communication with ground. ■