SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program suffered another setback on Thursday as its massive spacecraft exploded in space shortly after liftoff from Boca Chica, Texas. The failure, which marked the eighth test of the next-generation rocket, resulted in fiery debris raining down over parts of the Caribbean, leading the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily halt air traffic in Florida.
The Starship, a 123-meter rocket central to Elon Musk’s vision of sending humans to Mars, lifted off at 6:30 p.m. ET (2330 GMT). While the Super Heavy first-stage booster executed its return maneuver and was successfully caught midair by a SpaceX crane, the upper-stage Starship encountered serious problems. Video footage from SpaceX’s live stream showed the spacecraft spinning uncontrollably in space, with multiple engines shutting down before contact was lost.
SpaceX later confirmed that an “energetic event” in Starship’s aft section led to the loss of several engines, ultimately causing a loss of attitude control and communications. The final contact with the vehicle was recorded approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff. Social media footage captured debris streaking through the sky near South Florida and the Bahamas, though SpaceX assured that the debris did not contain toxic materials.
This marks the second consecutive failure for Starship in early 2024. A previous test flight in January also ended in an explosion about eight minutes after launch, scattering debris over Caribbean islands and causing minor damage in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA had already been investigating that incident when it approved Thursday’s test flight.
Following the latest failure, the FAA has launched another mishap investigation. SpaceX must determine the cause of the incident and obtain FAA approval before conducting another flight. Despite the setbacks, Musk and his team remain determined to refine the rocket’s design and achieve a successful orbital flight.
Starship’s intended mission was to complete nearly a full orbit around Earth before re-entering over the Indian Ocean. The simulation was meant to test a landing sequence that SpaceX aims to use for future Mars and lunar missions. The repeated failures highlight the challenges SpaceX faces as it pushes the boundaries of space exploration.
