The Starship spacecraft, SpaceX’s ambitious rocket that Elon Musk hopes to use to transport humans to Mars, suffered another failure during its latest test flight. During Thursday’s mission, the upper stage exploded in space, scattering debris and disrupting air traffic from Florida to Pennsylvania.
This was the second consecutive test flight in which the spacecraft experienced significant failures. After several engines shut down, Starship began spinning out of control and eventually lost communication with mission control. Images and videos shared on the social media platform X captured the moment the spacecraft disintegrated in the Florida sky. As a result, falling space debris affected operations at airports in Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, as well as at Philadelphia International Airport.
Starship is the largest rocket ever built. Standing over 122 meters tall, it is 30 meters taller than the Statue of Liberty, including its pedestal. Its Super Heavy booster is equipped with 33 Raptor engines, capable of generating nearly 7,300 metric tons of thrust. The upper stage, simply known as Starship or Ship, is made of stainless steel and designed to reach orbit, ultimately transporting humans to the Moon and Mars.
The launch took place on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (ET) from SpaceX’s base in Texas, near Brownsville. While the booster successfully returned to the launch platform, the upper stage began experiencing issues in the final 30 seconds before its engines shut down. SpaceX reported that an “energetic event” in the rear section of the spacecraft damaged several Raptor engines, causing a loss of control and ultimately severing communications.
Nine minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff, all contact with Starship was lost. The company immediately activated pre-established safety protocols. Shortly after the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops at airports, citing “space launch debris” as the reason. However, airlines such as Southwest Airlines reported minimal disruption, stating that operations quickly returned to normal.
The FAA has suspended further Starship launches until SpaceX completes an investigation into the failure. This was the spacecraft’s eighth test flight. In the previous mission, in January, Starship successfully separated from the booster but failed later in the flight, forcing air traffic diversions over the Caribbean and causing debris to fall on the Turks and Caicos Islands.
SpaceX has been working on improvements to prevent previous failures. In the seventh flight, unexpected vibrations caused propellant leaks and fires, leading to the activation of the self-destruct system. For this latest test, the company implemented changes to the engine feed lines, adjusted propellant temperatures, and installed additional vents to minimize risks. Despite these modifications, problems persist.
The FAA, which oversees space launch safety, has hired three SpaceX employees to help update its air traffic control systems. However, the agency has assured that they will not have access to the office that regulates SpaceX.
This Starship accident is not the only recent issue for SpaceX. In February, a Falcon 9 upper stage failed during its descent maneuver and remained in orbit before re-entering the atmosphere 18 days later, leaving debris in Poland. Additionally, last Sunday, a Falcon 9 booster successfully landed on a barge in the Atlantic but later toppled over due to a fire on one of its landing legs.
NASA plans to use a version of Starship to land astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for 2027. However, this timeline could be delayed or even canceled if the U.S. government shifts its focus toward Mars. Before conducting crewed missions, SpaceX must first demonstrate that Starship is fully reliable and safe.
