SpaceX loses Starship spacecraft in eighth flight test

LOS ANGELES -- SpaceX launched the eighth test flight of its giant Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact with its spacecraft shortly after launch.

Starship took off from the company's Starbase facility near Brownsville in the US state of Texas at about 5:30 pm Central Time.

About seven minutes after liftoff, the rocket's Super Heavy booster successfully returned to launch site for a "chopsticks" catch -- catching the returning booster using mechanical "chopsticks," called "Mechazilla," on the launch tower, according to live broadcast.

But the Starship spacecraft lost altitude control, and lost communication with ground, according to live broadcast.