- Second Consecutive Failure: SpaceX’s Starship exploded minutes after liftoff from Texas, marking its second failed mission this year.
- Debris Scattered Over Caribbean: The explosion sent fiery debris over parts of southern Florida and the Bahamas, prompting temporary flight restrictions.
- FAA Investigation Launched: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the failure and will require SpaceX to address the issue before another launch.
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft suffered a catastrophic failure on Thursday, exploding minutes after liftoff from Texas. The mission, intended to deploy mock satellites, ended in destruction as the rocket broke apart in space. This marks the second consecutive failure of Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program this year, raising concerns about setbacks in the company’s ambitious development timeline.
The massive 403-foot rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, launch site at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET. The Super Heavy booster successfully separated and returned to land as planned. However, the upper-stage Starship vehicle began to spin uncontrollably, and several of its engines shut down before the company lost contact with the spacecraft. The explosion sent fiery debris streaking across the sky, with fragments reportedly falling near southern Florida and the Bahamas.
This failure comes just over a month after the previous Starship launch ended in an explosion. Both mishaps occurred early in the missions, despite SpaceX having previously surpassed these flight phases without incident. The back-to-back failures suggest possible deeper technical challenges for the rocket’s development. SpaceX has been working to accelerate Starship’s progress this year, aiming to improve its reliability for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
As debris scattered across parts of the Caribbean, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly halted commercial flights at multiple Florida airports, citing concerns over space launch debris. Flights were also rerouted around Turks and Caicos. The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident, requiring SpaceX to analyze the cause of the failure and obtain regulatory approval before attempting another launch.
The explosion echoes Starship’s previous failure in January, when a fire near its liquid oxygen tank caused the vehicle to break apart eight minutes into flight. That incident also led to temporary flight restrictions and an FAA-mandated investigation. SpaceX had since made modifications to the rocket’s fuel systems, but Thursday’s failure underscores the challenges of developing a spacecraft capable of carrying humans and cargo to deep space. Despite these setbacks, the company remains committed to refining Starship’s design and advancing its long-term vision for interplanetary travel.
