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SpaceX deployed its Starship rocket from its Starbase factory in Texas on March 6, 2025. The flight tested the capability of the rocket to launch the upper stage and recover the Super Heavy booster.
The rocket took off as scheduled, and the booster landed safely back at the launch pad, which was caught by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. But the top stage of the rocket failed to finish its intended trip.
According to CNN, it lost control and disintegrated over the Caribbean about eight minutes into the flight. This is a repeat of a similar incident in January 2025, when a test flight of Starship exploded. The recent failure has raised eyebrows regarding the performance of the rocket and how it will affect upcoming missions.
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The Starship's upper stage lost guidance before disintegrating over the Caribbean
Following detachment from the booster, the Starship upper stage continued flight and was intended to release four test Starlink satellites before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. Several Raptor engines on the Starship lost power earlier than anticipated.
The spacecraft lost its stability and started tumbling. SpaceX lost connection with the spacecraft approximately nine minutes after launch. Later, it broke apart above the Caribbean.
According to CNN Science, SpaceX's communications manager, Dan Huot, said,
“Once you lose enough of those center engines, you’re going to lose attitude control,”
He continued,
“And so we did see the ship start to go into a spin, and at this point, we have lost contact with the ship.”
The company had yet to share complete information as to why the engines crashed, but it is the second instance where the test flight for a Starship resulted in failure by the engines. SpaceX would most likely inspect the data collected and adjust as they plan further flights.
However, in a statement, SpaceX said the engine failures were caused by an "energetic event" in the aft section.
"This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship," the statement said. "Final contact with Starship came approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff."
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Air travel in Florida was temporarily disrupted by the explosion
According to Reuters, the breakup of the Starship upper stage immediately impacted air travel in Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspended air traffic at several major airports, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando.
The temporary suspension was enacted as a precautionary measure because of the threat of falling debris. Consequently, several flights were held up, and some planes maintained positions off-shore, waiting for clearance to take off.
The airspace limitations persisted for approximately 50 minutes until regular flight procedures resumed. It is not the first instance in which a SpaceX test flight impacted air traffic since similar precautions were taken during other launches.
The FAA has opened an investigation into the cause of the failure
According to Reuters, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ) said it would look into the malfunction of the upper stage of the Starship. As this is the second consecutive test flight to be followed by an explosion, the agency will study what failed and whether more safety precautions are needed.
SpaceX has been trying to enhance Starship's design for future flights, but successive failures cast doubt over the timeline of future flights. The company is likely to scrutinize the findings of this test flight and ascertain what adjustments will be necessary before another launch attempt.
The failure will impact SpaceX's future launch schedules
Starship forms a central aspect of SpaceX's long-term ambition, such as satellite deployment and future missions to the Moon and Mars. Success in the booster recovery indicates momentum in some of the areas, but the failure in the upper stages indicates the efforts needed to develop the spacecraft in full operationality.
After two successive test flights ending in an explosion, SpaceX might be forced to change its strategy before proceeding with further missions. The firm has not yet released a date for the next test flight, but the subsequent launches will depend on the outcome of the current investigation.
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