Texas: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded shortly after launching from Texas on Thursday, grounding flights and prompting warnings about falling debris.
The uncrewed 123-meter (403-foot) spacecraft, the largest ever built, suffered what SpaceX termed a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” during ascent, losing contact with mission control. Though no injuries or damages were reported, images from Caribbean nations showed flaming debris falling from the sky.
Residents in the Bahamas took cover as fragments descended. The explosion also led to temporary flight suspensions at several Florida airports, including Miami and Orlando, due to safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classified the incident as a “space launch incident.”
This marked the eighth test flight of Starship and its second consecutive failure. The spacecraft was meant to complete a one-hour journey before re-entering Earth’s orbit over the Indian Ocean. However, it lost stability shortly after launch. Despite the failure, its Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launchpad.
SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has begun an investigation, stating that multiple engine failures contributed to the explosion. The company emphasized that lessons from the mishap would enhance Starship’s reliability.
The latest failure follows a similar incident in January, when a Starship rocket explosion caused debris to fall over the Turks and Caicos Islands, leading to an FAA investigation.
Notably, Thursday’s launch proceeded before the FAA had concluded its inquiry into the January mishap. Authorities in Turks and Caicos confirmed they are in discussions with SpaceX and US officials regarding public safety measures.
Starship is central to Musk’s ambitions for interplanetary travel, including missions to Mars. NASA also plans to use a modified version for lunar landings under the Artemis program.
