During its recent test flight on Thursday, Elon Musk’s ambitious spacecraft, Starship, which he envisions as the vehicle to eventually transport humans to Mars, faced a setback. The spacecraft’s upper stage exploded in space, leading to debris scattering across several areas and causing disruptions to air traffic from Florida to Pennsylvania.
This incident marks the second time in a row that the powerful rocket encountered issues during its upper-stage maneuver. After several engines failed, it began to spiral out of control, ultimately losing connection with the mission control.
Photos and videos shared on the social media platform X by eyewitnesses near the Florida coast captured the moment the spacecraft disintegrated. Falling debris from the mishap affected flights at multiple airports including Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, extending up to Philadelphia International Airport.
Starship is the most colossal rocket system ever built, standing at an impressive 403 feet tall—nearly 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Powering this colossal structure is the Super Heavy booster, which is equipped with an impressive array of 33 Raptor engines. When these engines fire, they produce a staggering 16 million pounds of thrust, propelling the Starship off the launchpad.
The upper section, also called Starship or simply Ship, sports a design reminiscent of the shiny rockets from 1950s sci-fi films. Constructed from stainless steel with sizeable fins, this part of the spacecraft is intended to reach orbit and potentially carry astronauts to the moon or Mars.
Thursday’s launch from SpaceX’s Starbase in southern Texas, just past 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, saw the Starship’s enormous booster successfully return to the launchpad, repeating the success from the previous test. However, as the upper-stage engines were nearing their shutdown phase, several failed. The resulting videos from the spacecraft showed an unstable view of Earth and space until the feed cut off.
SpaceX updated their website, noting, “Before the ascent burn concluded, there was an energetic event in the aft segment of Starship, causing the loss of several Raptor engines. This chain of events resulted in losing control of the vehicle’s orientation and, eventually, communications with Starship were severed.”
Contact with the spacecraft ended 9 minutes and 30 seconds into the flight, according to SpaceX. The company promptly worked with safety officials to initiate pre-planned emergency protocols.
Following the spacecraft’s breakup, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stop orders at several airports due to the “space launch debris.” While airlines reported limited disturbances that evening, Southwest Airlines noted minor impacts at their South Florida operations but anticipated a quick recovery to normality.
The FAA has grounded Starship until SpaceX completes a thorough investigation into Thursday’s incident.
This event marks the eighth test flight for the Starship rocket. During its previous flight in January, the initial launch phase appeared smooth, with all 33 engines lifting the rocket towards space. Though the booster separated correctly and the second-stage engines engaged, unforeseen issues arose, leading to diverted air traffic over the Caribbean. Some debris even made its way to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Across the first six test flights, SpaceX has demonstrated that the rocket’s primary design functions and that Starship can return to Earth largely intact. Moving forward, SpaceX aims to achieve more consistent reliability and develop other capabilities. The company may receive FAA approval for up to 25 flights in the coming year.
The FAA is striving to avoid conflicts of interest with Mr. Musk and SpaceX. Recently, three SpaceX employees were temporarily hired to assist with updating the agency’s air traffic control systems, although they are barred from accessing certain FAA regulatory areas related to SpaceX.
An investigation into the previous Starship’s failure indicated that the rocket was compromised by unexpected vibrations, akin to an organ pipe. These vibrations triggered propellant leaks that consequently ignited, leading to the activation of the self-destruct system.
To mitigate similar issues, SpaceX has made adjustments by redesigning propellant feed lines and modifying engine conditions to prevent leaks. For this flight, they also improved venting systems and reduced flammable propellant accumulation to cut down on fire risks.
The FAA supervised SpaceX’s investigation and granted a launch license for the eighth flight.
Scott Ferguson, a 43-year-old neuroscientist and amateur astronomer, set up his telescope in Sarasota, Florida, anticipating the launch. At around 6:40 p.m., he saw a large cloud form through his lens, followed by a piece of the spacecraft’s body surrounded by what looked like twinkling debris.
Moments after, Ferguson heard a loud bang reminiscent of sonic booms from his youth in Titusville, Florida, near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with more booms following after a few minutes.
The Starship isn’t the only spacecraft facing challenges; SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets have also encountered issues. In February, a Falcon 9 upper stage didn’t perform its planned engine burn, leaving it in orbit temporarily before air resistance brought it back, reportedly landing fragments in Poland.
Recently on Sunday, a Falcon 9 booster upon landing successfully on an Atlantic Ocean barge, toppled over. SpaceX reported that a fire damaged one of its landing legs, causing it to tip.
NASA plans to use a version of Starship for its Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts on the moon in 2027. However, a change in priorities by the administration could shift focus to Mars instead, potentially affecting the mission’s timeline.
Before any manned missions occur, SpaceX must prove Starship’s reliability through consistent and successful test flights.
