Watch: Musk's Starship explodes in space during 8th test flight
What's the story
SpaceX's ambitious Starship program has suffered another setback as its eighth test flight ended in disaster. The spacecraft exploded shortly after liftoff from Texas, scattering debris across parts of Florida and the Bahamas. The incident comes just over a month after a similar failure, marking the second consecutive mishap for Elon Musk's Mars rocket program this year.
Safety measures
FAA halts air traffic in Florida
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately swung into action after the explosion, stopping air traffic in parts of Florida over "space launch debris." The agency has launched a mishap investigation into the incident. The rocket lifted off at 6:30pm ET on March 6 from SpaceX's Boca Chica facilities in Texas. While the Super Heavy first stage booster returned to Earth and was captured midair by a SpaceX crane, contact with Starship was lost shortly after liftoff.
Incident details
SpaceX confirms loss of communication
SpaceX confirmed that Starship suffered an "energetic event" in its aft section, losing several engines. This caused a loss of attitude control and eventually communication with Starship. The last contact with the spacecraft was made roughly 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff. Despite the explosion, SpaceX said there were no toxic materials among the debris spread over populated areas.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the incident
Just saw Starship 8 blow
— Jonathon Norcross (@NorcrossUSA) March 6, 2025up in the Bahamas @SpaceX@elonmuskpic.twitter.com/rTMJu23oVx
Mission objectives
Starship's mission included deploying dummy satellites
The ill-fated mission was supposed to test the rocket's capabilities and deploy dummy satellites. It was planned to conduct a suborbital flight, deploying four dummy Starlink satellites and testing reentry maneuvers. However, the vehicle disintegrated after reaching space, sending debris streaking across the sky and falling over populated areas in Florida and the Bahamas. Local authorities have been alerted about this incident.
Flight disruptions
FAA issues ground stops for flights
In light of the explosion, the FAA had issued ground stops for flights heading out to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Palm Beach airports. The disruption continued for over an hour before things returned to normal. Departures at the airports were delayed by an average of 45 minutes due to the SpaceX incident. The aviation body has since ordered SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation into the loss of Starship during launch operations.
Twitter Post
Official statement from SpaceX
With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability. We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests… pic.twitter.com/3ThPm0Yzky
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 7, 2025