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Starship 7th Test Flight: Booster Caught By 'Chopsticks' Tower; Ship Lost In Explosion
January 16, 2025
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SpaceX successfully executed its second-ever “chopsticks” catch of a Super Heavy booster (or Booster 14) using the “Mechazilla” launch tower on Thursday(Jan. 16), during the seventh uncrewed test flight of the company's 123-meter Starship rocket. However, the megarocket's upper stage(or Ship 33) was lost approximately 8.5 minutes into the flight in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly(RUD)” or explosion.

The reusable Ship and Booster combo lifted off at 2237 UTC, from SpaceX Starbase site in South Texas. The RUD occurred while the Ship was ascending and had already reached an altitude of 145 kilometers(km) and a speed of 21,243 km per hour.

All six of Ship's Raptor engines fired up during ascent burn, "but as we were getting to the end of that ascent burn, we saw engines dropping out on telemetry, and we have since lost contact with the Ship,” Dan Huot, of SpaceX's communications team, said during the company's launch webcast.

Huot and fellow webcast host Kate Tice later confirmed that Ship had been lost. The reasons were not immediately clear, the duo said.

Ship was supposed to fly much of the way around the world, then splash down softly in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia about 66 minutes after liftoff, as it did on the three previous Starship launches.

Debris from the spacecraft was reportedly spotted falling over the Caribbean, causing flights in the area to be delayed or diverted as a precautionary measure. Videos circulating online show the debris over Turks and Caicos.

SpaceX has stated that it will review the data from the flight to determine the root cause of the anomaly and improve the reliability of the Starship spacecraft.

In a statement on its website, the company writes,

"Following stage separation, the Starship upper stage successfully lit all six Raptor engines and performed its ascent burn to space. Prior to the burn’s completion, telemetry was lost with the vehicle after approximately eight and a half minutes of flight. Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly.

"Starship flew within its designated launch corridor – as all U.S. launches do to safeguard the public both on the ground, on water and in the air. Any surviving pieces of debris would have fallen into the designated hazard area. If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly. Instead, please contact your local authorities or the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at [email protected].

"As always, success comes from what we learn, and this flight test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary. Data review is already underway as we seek out root cause. We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests.

"The ship and booster for Starship’s eighth flight test are built and going through prelaunch testing and preparing to fly as we continue a rapid iterative development process to build a fully and rapidly reusable space transportation system."

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SpaceX successfully executed its second-ever “chopsticks” catch of a Super Heavy booster (or Booster 14) using the “Mechazilla” launch tower on Thursday(Jan. 16), during the seventh uncrewed test flight of the company's 123-meter Starship rocket. However, the megarocket's upper stage(or Ship 33) was lost approximately 8.5 minutes into the flight in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly(RUD)” or explosion

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Pentagon: Israel Is Top 'Critical' Counterintelligence Threat To US, Amid Israel-US-Iran War

The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reportedly raised the counterintelligence threat level from Israel to "critical," the highest possible designation, citing aggressive espionage efforts against top U.S. officials amid diverging strategic goals regarding the war with Iran.

Israel is reportedly actively spying on senior US officials including Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Pentagon top policy adviser Elbridge Colby and his deputy Michael DiMino IV to gather intelligence on internal U.S. deliberations and peace negotiations.

The threat assessment cites specific incidents, including the discovery of surveillance software secretly installed on the phones of U.S. security personnel in Israel. Israeli internal security agency Shin Bet's operatives were found attempting to plant a listening device in a U.S. Secret Service vehicle in 2025.

The DIA noted an uptick in activities beginning in late 2024, following previous incidents such as Israeli military intelligence planting a device at DIA headquarters in 2021.

The heightened US intelligence alert coincides with public clashes between President Donald Trump, who seeks a diplomatic end to the war with Iran, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pushed for resumed military operations.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington labeled the reports "completely false," stating that Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities. The Pentagon declined to comment.

U.S. officials anticipate increased use of burner phones and stricter security protocols when traveling to Israel, though high-level intelligence sharing regarding the Iran war reportedly continues.

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Astronauts Take Shelter In SpaceX Dragon As Cosmonauts Fix Air Leak In ISS

NASA directed five of the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) at 1304 UTC, Friday (June 5) to shelter in the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon 'Freedom' spacecraft as a precautionary measure while two Russian cosmonauts attempted repairs on a worsening air leak.

"Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four of the agency's SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway," NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said via X this morning. The order was lifted roughly two hours later after Roscosmos paused repair efforts to take additional measurements, confirming the situation did not immediately threaten crew safety.

The five astronauts -- Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Sophie Adenot (European Space Agency) from SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission, NASA astronaut Chris Williams -- donned spacesuits in the Dragon, to be ready for rapid evacuation. Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev remained in the Russian segment to perform the repairs. Their designated escape vehicle is the separately docked Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.

The leak is located in the PrK transfer tunnel connecting the Russian Zvezda service module to a docking port. This area has suffered from microscopic structural cracks for over six years, with NASA previously classifying it as a top safety risk. Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, manages it through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts.

Stevens wrote "The Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos as much as possible to date. The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely.

"NASA and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause of the cracks, and Roscosmos manages the issue through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts.

Following new leaks, Roscosmos has elected to proceed with a more extensive repair operation on Friday, June 5.

"Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four of the agency's SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway.

We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution."

After a period of stability earlier in 2026, sensors detected a fresh pressure drop following the arrival of the Progress 95 cargo ship in May. By early June, the leak rate had escalated to approximately one kilogram of air per day, prompting Roscosmos to attempt a more extensive repair operation using sealant and tools.

NASA lifted the shelter order about 2 hours later. "Roscosmos has paused Friday’s structural repair efforts inside the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, as more measurements and data is assessed," Stevens wrote at 1457 UTC. "Given this development, NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station. We look forward to working with Roscosmos on a collaborative approach to address the leaks."

The PrK leak highlights the space station's advanced age. Construction of the complex began in 1998, and It has been continuously occupied by rotating astronaut crews since November 2000. And Zvezda is one of its older pieces: The module launched to orbit in July 2000. The orbital lab will operate potentially until 2032, giving more time for private successors to get up and running in low Earth orbit.

The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-12 mission -- Meir, Hathaway, Adenot and Fedyaev -- arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in mid-February for a six-month stay. Williams flew with two crewmates on the Soyuz — Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev.

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Candace Owens Slams US Aid To Ukraine, In Remarks At SPIEF: Governments 'Should Encourage Big Families'

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Kronstadt naval base on Wednesday, igniting massive fires and damaging military assets just hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

The attacks targeted critical energy and military infrastructure in Russia's second-largest city, creating a visible backdrop of thick black smoke as international delegates arrived for the summit, often dubbed "Putin's Davos."

The targets included the JSC Petersburg Oil Terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment facilities on the Baltic Sea, which was set ablaze after drones bypassed air defenses. In the nearby city of Kronstadt, Ukrainian forces struck the naval base home to Russia's Baltic Fleet, with video evidence confirming a direct hit on the guided-missile corvette Boikiy while it was in dry dock for repairs.

Additional strikes reportedly hit a weapons factory in the Tambov region, part of what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "long-range sanctions" designed to disrupt Russia's logistics and war economy.

The timing coincided with the start of SPIEF, a flagship event intended to showcase Russia's economic resilience, attended by approximately 20,000 guests from 130 countries. Notable attendees included a low-key US delegation led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr., former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and popular American personalities such as podcaster Candace Owens.

The Ukranian assault forced the temporary closure of Pulkovo Airport and disrupted mobile internet services in St. Petersburg, while Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted over 350 drones across multiple regions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky labeled the operation a highly precise execution of Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" to disrupt Russia's war economy.

In response to the strikes, which followed earlier deadly Russian barrage on Kyiv that killed 23 people, the Kremlin promised "systemic" retaliation.

In immediate retaliation for the St. Petersburg strikes, Russian forces launched another wave of attacks. Dnipro, which was actively observing an official day of mourning for the victims of the previous day's attack, was struck again. A precision-guided Iskander-M ballistic missile directly struck a massive distribution and food storage warehouse belonging to ATB, Ukraine’s largest supermarket chain.

The strike entirely destroyed a vital hub of civilian food supply. Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov expressed immense frustration online, tying the event directly to the Kronstadt naval strike: "We hit their war corvette in Kronstadt. And they target ATB grocery warehouses in Dnipro."

The warehouse strike, combined with a secondary strike on an innovative Nova Poshta (postal service) logistics terminal and residential areas later that evening, injured at least 12 people in Dnipro, leaving three in critical condition.

 

 

Candace Owens Slams US Aid To Ukraine, In Remarks At SPIEF: Governments 'Should Encourage Big Families'

Meanwhile, Owens emerged as one of the headline foreign guests at SPIEF, participating in multiple sessions alongside high-ranking Russian officials like State Duma Deputy Chair Anna Kuznetsova and nationalist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin.

Owens was featured on panels addressing the "social sphere and new technologies," as well as sessions focused on family policy, titled "Balancing parenthood in a large family with a successful career."

The popular conservative commentator who was the event with her husband George Famer, criticized Western liberal social norms, claiming that institutional shifts in Western Europe and the United States have degraded traditional family structures and core civic values. She suggested her presence in Russia as an act of defiance against what she termed "globalist" censorship, praising alternative platforms that allow for non-Western-aligned perspectives.

Speaking directly to journalists on the sidelines of the forum, Owens directed her sharpest critiques toward U.S. foreign policy and financial commitments to Ukraine. "Ordinary Americans are growing increasingly fatigued by unchecked foreign aid spending while critical domestic issues are sidelined," the 37-year-old mother of 4, said.

Owens asserted that billions of American tax dollars are being funneled into a foreign conflict to sustain "oligarchical spending," arguing that the average U.S. citizen receives no benefit while domestic infrastructure, economic stability, and border security suffer. She argued that mainstream media narratives have artificially sustained the conflict against the true economic interests of the American public.

Also in the country, are controversial 'manosphere' influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate who made a highly publicized arrival at a Moscow airport, where they were greeted by traditional Russian folk dancers offering bread and salt. While the Tate brothers' presence sparked intense debate within Russia, their itinerary was focused heavily on filming content for international audiences and meeting with cultural figures.

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