Video: SpaceX Starship explodes after launch, debris falls from Space
PTC Web Desk: A SpaceX Starship prototype experienced a failure minutes after liftoff from South Texas on Thursday, leading to disrupted airline traffic over the Gulf of Mexico as debris descended. This incident marks a setback for Elon Musk’s ambitious rocket programme aimed at Mars exploration and large satellite deployments.
The upgraded Starship, equipped with its first test payload of mock satellites, lost contact with mission control eight minutes into the flight. The launch took place at 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT) from SpaceX’s South Texas facilities. Video footage captured by Reuters displayed orange streaks of light over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, accompanied by smoke trails.
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/aq91TloYzY — SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 16, 2025
“We lost all communications with the ship, which indicates an anomaly with the upper stage,” said SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot. He later confirmed that the prototype had been lost.
This failure comes after a previous Starship upper-stage mishap in March last year, which occurred during reentry over the Indian Ocean. However, the latest incident stands out due to its impact on air traffic.
At Miami International Airport, flights were temporarily grounded, and data from FlightRadar24 revealed that at least 20 commercial flights had to divert or change course to avoid potential debris. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated it was investigating the situation.
Elon Musk shared a video of the debris field on X (formerly Twitter), remarking, "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!"
The failed Starship upper stage, measuring 2 meters taller than earlier versions, incorporated significant upgrades. It was designed to splash down in the Indian Ocean roughly an hour after launch, according to SpaceX. The mission was the company’s seventh Starship test since 2023, part of Musk’s multi-billion-dollar initiative to create a rocket capable of human space travel and extensive satellite deployment.
SpaceX has adopted a "test-to-failure" approach in developing Starship, embracing dramatic failures as part of the process to refine its engineering. However, Thursday’s failure occurred during a phase of the mission that the company had previously executed successfully.
The Super Heavy booster, on the other hand, successfully returned to the launchpad as planned, utilizing its Raptor engines for a controlled descent and docking with the mechanical arms on the launch tower approximately seven minutes post-liftoff.
- With inputs from agencies
