The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed during an attempted landing on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean last night. The booster had nearly completed its touchdown when it tipped over, dropping into the sea.
It was the first time the company has failed to recover one of the reusable boosters since February 2021, ending a streak of 267 successful landings for the reusable boosters, according to CBS News.
SpaceX posted about the failed mission at 4:04AM ET, writing that the booster “tipped over following touchdown” on what was its 23rd launch. The second stage succeeded in putting a batch of 21 Starlink satellites in orbit, however, 13 of which carry the company’s cellular transmission capability.
After a successful ascent,…