January 16, 2025, 9:49 PM 1:41 In this screen grab taken from the SpaceX broadcast the SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16, 2025. SpaceX SpaceX conducted the seventh flight test of its Starship launch vehicle on Thursday, which the company called "the most capable" Starship yet -- and the only fully reusable one. It was a mixed bag for the aerospace giant, however, as they successfully caught the first stage booster upon its return to Earth, but lost communications with the Starship as it broke up while heading into space. The more than 400-foot rocket, powered by 33 Raptor engines, appeared to lift off successfully at 4:37 p.m. CT from SpaceX's launchpad at its Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. But minutes into the mission, ground control announced during a live stream of the mission that it had lost all communications with the ship. In this screen grab taken from the SpaceX broadcast the Starship's Super Heavy Booster is being grabbed as it returns to the launch pad at Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16, 2025. SpaceX The company said they lost several engines and telemetry and that the ship had been lost. There were no astronauts on board the test flight mission. SpaceX added that the rocket used Thursday is a new version of the Starship. In this screen grab taken from the SpaceX broadcast the SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16, 2025. SpaceX While the Starship is lost, the super heavy first-stage booster successfully executed a controlled descent back to the launch tower, where it was caught by the launch tower's giant robotic arms. This is considered one of the most challenging aspects of the mission. Thursday's feat marked the second time that SpaceX has been able to return and catch the stage booster using the launch tower. Following the loss of the spacecraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly announced it was slowing flights in and around Florida due to the possibility of falling debris from the SpaceX launch. Footage of debris falling from the sky was seen over the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday. In this screen grab taken from a video, the SpaceX explosion is seen over Turks and Caicos Islands, Jan. 16, 2025. Amy Brown