A little over 8 minutes into the flight, live video showed the upper-stage vehicle spinning in space before all communication was lost. After SpaceX’s Starship…
After SpaceX’s Starship megarocket exploded during a test flight in January, the company had hoped for a better outcome when it attempted a launch on Thursday.
But once more, the mission was cut short after controllers lost contact with the upper-stage vehicle.
The 400-foot-tall Starship system rocketed off the launch pad at SpaceX’s Starbase site near Brownsville, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. ET for its eighth test flight.
But a little over 8 minutes in — roughly the same timing as the mishap in January — several engines appeared to cut off as the upper-stage Starship vehicle was still accelerating into space. Live video showed the craft spinning before all communication was lost.
“Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines,” SpaceX said in a statement. “This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship.”
The company said final contact with Starship was approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.
“I think it’s pretty obvious we’re not going to continue the rest of the mission today,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said on the company’s live webcast.
Shortly after the accident, temporary ground stops were ordered at airports across Florida because of “space launch debris,” including at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport.
During the explosion, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a “Debris Response Area,” which prevented planes from entering the areas where space vehicle debris was falling. The agency said normal operations have resumed.
SpaceX said any “surviving debris” would have fallen in that “Debris Response Area.” There is nothing toxic in the debris, it said, and there are no significant impacts expected for marine species or water quality.
Videos emerged on social media appearing to show the explosion and possible debris.
One X user posted footage of what looked like a ball of smoke overhead in Boynton Beach, Florida, while others in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos captured fiery streaks of debris flying across the sky.The Turks and Caicos government said that post-incident protocols have been engaged. The government said it is in contact with the FAA, SpaceX and U.K. agency leads to confirm the position of the spacecraft and “ensure the safety and security of our Islands.”
“We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests,” SpaceX said in its statement.
It’s not altogether uncommon for accidents to occur in the development of new rockets and spaceships, but Thursday’s setback is the second in a row for Starship. During the system’s seventh test mission on Jan. 16, SpaceX similarly lost communication with the vehicle’s upper stage after about 8 minutes. It subsequently blew up over the Caribbean, sending dust and small pieces of debris falling over parts of Turks and Caicos. Local authorities said there were no injuries or major damage to property, however.
After that accident, the FAA launched an investigation. Although it subsequently cleared Starship for Thursday’s test flight, the investigation is ongoing.The FAA is one of many federal agencies the Trump administration has targeted for budget and personnel cuts. It’s unclear, though, whether workers with the Department of Government Efficiency, led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, have had a presence within the FAA’s commercial spaceflight division, which oversees private companies like SpaceX.
