SpaceX’s space ambitions suffered another major setback on Thursday when it exploded just minutes after launching from Texas. The incident marks the second consecutive failure of a Starship test this year.
The 403-foot (123-meter) Starship rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas at approximately 6:30 PM Eastern Time (2300 GMT). The vehicle, comprising the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage, initially appeared to perform as planned. The Super Heavy first-stage booster executed its return maneuver successfully, landing back at the launch pad using SpaceX’s mechanical arms.
Live webcast of Starship’s eighth flight test starts now https://t.co/Ml0uq17MWl
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2025
Counting down to Starship’s eighth flight test. Weather looks favorable at the pad and the 60-minute launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. CT → https://t.co/alyJTRtOIP pic.twitter.com/EWUCtBhojH
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2025
However, problems became evident shortly after the second-stage separation. The upper-stage Starship vehicle was seen spinning uncontrollably in space, with multiple engines shutting down before SpaceX confirmed the loss of communication. A visualization displayed on the company’s live stream suggested that an anomaly had occurred, leading to an “energetic event” in the aft section of the spacecraft, ultimately resulting in its destruction. Later, in an official statement, SpaceX noted that the “energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines. This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship.”
As the vehicle broke apart, fiery debris was observed streaking across the evening sky near South Florida and the Bahamas. Numerous videos surfaced on social media showing the remnants of the spacecraft falling over the Atlantic Ocean. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued temporary flight restrictions at major Florida airports, including those in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando, citing concerns over space debris. These restrictions were lifted later in the evening.
SpaceX stated that any surviving debris would have landed within the designated Debris Response Area, adding that the materials were non-toxic, posing no environmental threat to marine ecosystems. However, officials in the Bahamas advised residents to exercise caution and report any recovered debris to authorities. Dan Huot, a spokesperson for SpaceX, acknowledged the failure during the live stream, stating, “Unfortunately, this happened last time, too, so we’ve got some practice now.” The space company will now review the flight data in coordination with the FAA and take measures to prevent similar occurrences on future flights.
For its part, the FAA immediately opened a mishap investigation into the incident, as required by federal regulations for spaceflight failures. The agency will oversee SpaceX’s investigation and will need to approve corrective measures before granting permission for another launch attempt. This failure comes just over a month after Starship’s previous test flight in January, which also ended in destruction. That mission was aborted after a fire ignited near the vehicle’s liquid oxygen tank, leading to an explosion that scattered debris over parts of the Caribbean, including the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA temporarily grounded Starship launches after that incident, requiring SpaceX to implement design modifications, including changes to the fuel lines and temperature control systems.
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