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The latest test of Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship, gargantuan next-generation megarocket, ended with the upper stage dramatically disintegrating over the Atlantic, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris.
Around seven minutes after liftoff, the stainless steel Super Heavy booster decelerated from supersonic speeds -- generating sonic booms -- before descending gracefully into the launch tower's waiting arms, prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams.
A taller, improved version of the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built blasted off from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, for its seventh test.
The maneuver was first successfully executed in October, but not November, when Super Heavy made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead.
First night in Turks and Caicos and we're on the beach and see this.
👀 pic.twitter.com/CDPlLd70Yn
— KingDomRedux (@KingDomRedux) January 16, 2025
Soon after the latest booster catch, however, announcers on a live webcast confirmed the upper stage vehicle had been lost following a propulsion anomaly.
The FlightAware tracker showed several planes in the Atlantic altering course near the Turks and Caicos Islands, while users on X shared dramatic footage purportedly capturing the spaceship breaking apart in a fiery cascade during atmospheric re-entry.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates private launch activities, said it had briefly slowed and diverted planes around the area where space debris was falling, but normal operations had since resumed.
The FAA regularly closes airspace for space launches and reentries, but it can create a "debris response area" to prevent aircraft from entering if the space vehicle experiences an anomaly outside the originally closed zone.
"Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" Elon Musk posted on X, sharing one of the clips.
He also just shared "preliminary" analysis about what might have caused the Starship spacecraft to fail roughly 10 minutes into flight.
"Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity. Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month", Musk posted on X.
Ahead of the SpaceX launch, Jeff Bezos's owned Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket reached orbital space for the first time overnight, marking a potential turning point in the commercial space race.