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Mar 07 2025
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SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded shortly after takeoff during a test flight on Thursday, marking the second failure this year for the company’s ambitious interplanetary exploration program. Despite the explosion, SpaceX achieved a significant milestone with the successful return of the mammoth first-stage booster, which was caught by the company’s giant mechanical "chopsticks" for the third time.
The test flight, launched from SpaceX’s site in Boca Chica, Texas, was streamed live, with viewers watching as the Starship spacecraft spun uncontrollably in space just minutes after liftoff. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot provided live commentary during the event, noting that the spacecraft had lost several engines and its attitude control.
“You can see we’ve lost several engines, and we’ve lost attitude control for the vehicle,” Huot explained. He continued, "Once you lose enough of those center engines, you’re going to lose attitude control," adding that the spacecraft started to spin. At that point, SpaceX lost contact with the ship.
As the remains of the spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere, fiery debris was visible across the skies of South Florida and the Bahamas, as shown in social media footage. In response to the falling debris, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly halted flights to four Florida airports, including Miami International Airport.
The FAA also initiated a "mishap investigation" to determine the cause of the event and identify corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.
This failure follows SpaceX’s seventh test flight in January, which also ended in a mid-flight breakup of the Starship. The debris from that incident led to diversions for several airlines.
In a statement after Thursday’s failed launch, SpaceX acknowledged that the vehicle had experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” before losing contact. The company also confirmed that it immediately coordinated with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. SpaceX emphasized that it would analyze data from the flight to determine the root cause and further improve Starship’s reliability.
"Success comes from what we learn," SpaceX added, "and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability."
NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop the Starship spacecraft for use in its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon within this decade. Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has long expressed his ambition to use Starship to establish a permanent colony on Mars by 2050.
