SpaceX put on a brave face about the situation, although the booster, at five flights, was a relative spring chicken compared to others in the company's fleet. The rocket biz said: "While disappointing to lose a rocket after a successful mission, the team will use the data to make Falcon even more reliable on ascent and landing."

Scientists lost contact with SpaceX's Starship 8 minutes after launch Thursday, the first test flight since the Starship 7 exploded in January.