SpaceX faced another major setback as its Starship spacecraft exploded mid-flight shortly after launching from Boca Chica, Texas.
This marks the second consecutive failure for Elon Musk’s Mars-bound rocket program in just over a month, raising concerns about the progress of SpaceX’s ambitious deep-space missions.
The test flight, designed to deploy mock satellites, ended abruptly as the vehicle lost control and disintegrated in space.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now launched a mishap investigation, grounding further Starship launches until the root cause is identified.
The incident has also led to brief disruptions in air traffic, with flights diverted due to falling debris.
Starship explodes, debris falls over the Caribbean
The 403ft (123m) Starship rocket lifted off at approximately 6:30 pm ET (23:00 GMT), successfully separating from its Super Heavy booster, which returned to land as planned.
However, moments later, the spacecraft began spinning uncontrollably, with multiple engine shutdowns observed on SpaceX’s live stream.
Shortly after, Starship disintegrated, scattering fiery debris over parts of Florida and the Caribbean.
Videos circulated on social media captured the dramatic breakup of the spacecraft as streaks of fire lit up the sky.
The FAA temporarily halted commercial flights at major airports, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando, due to concerns over falling debris. Air traffic around Turks and Caicos was also diverted.
SpaceX later confirmed the failure, stating that the spacecraft had experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” a term used by the company to describe catastrophic explosions.
The team has begun analyzing flight data to determine the cause of the failure, with an emphasis on improving Starship’s reliability for future missions.
During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.
We will review the data from today’s flight test to better…
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FAA launches investigation
Following the explosion, the FAA launched an investigation, requiring SpaceX to assess the failure’s cause and obtain approval before attempting another flight.
The regulatory body has mandated that SpaceX submit a detailed report outlining potential safety risks and corrective actions before Starship can return to flight.
This setback comes just weeks after Starship’s previous test flight ended in a similar failure.
On 16 January, the spacecraft exploded eight minutes into its mission due to a fire near the liquid oxygen tank, causing debris to rain down on Caribbean islands.
At that time, SpaceX attributed the failure to issues with fuel temperature and fuel lines, prompting modifications ahead of the latest launch.
Despite these efforts, the latest test demonstrated that further refinements are needed before Starship can achieve its goals of ferrying astronauts and cargo to the Moon and Mars.
The back-to-back failures have intensified scrutiny on SpaceX’s approach to rapid iteration, which favours frequent testing and failures as part of the development process.
Musk’s deep-space plans at risk
The continued failures of Starship pose a challenge to Musk’s vision of making space travel more cost-effective and enabling human settlement on Mars.
NASA has also invested in Starship for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon.
Delays in Starship’s development could impact the timeline for NASA’s lunar missions, which currently depend on SpaceX’s capability to deliver crew and cargo beyond Earth’s orbit.
While SpaceX remains committed to its strategy of aggressive testing, the recent explosions suggest that the company may need to refine its approach.
With regulatory scrutiny mounting and safety concerns growing, SpaceX faces increasing pressure to ensure Starship is not only powerful but also reliable enough for deep-space travel.
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