by Relive The seventh test flight of SpaceX Starship Find out how it happened and follow updates on the aftermath.
SpaceX’s colossal Starship launch system launched its seventh uncrewed test flight on Thursday, with an improved version of the mega rocket embarking on the program’s most ambitious flight yet.
SpaceX was able to repeat its previous performance when it captured a launch vehicle returning to Earth. But 8.5 minutes into the flight, the Starship spacecraft itself was lost.
“Starship experienced a rapid, unscheduled dismantling during its ascent burn,” the company said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause. In a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”
“Rapid Unplanned Disassembly” or “RUD” is a term SpaceX typically uses to refer to an explosion. According to the latest telemetry data shared by SpaceX, the spacecraft had already reached an altitude of 90 miles (146 kilometers) and was traveling at a speed of 13,200 miles per hour (21,317 kilometers per hour).
Plane tracking website Flightradar24 shared on Meanwhile, posts are emerging on social media showing alleged debris from the spacecraft crashing over the Caribbean.
The Federal Aviation Administration said flights from Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were delayed an average of an hour due to a “missile launch anomaly.” A separate FAA warning said flights were delayed due to “debris.”
“The FAA briefly slowed the aircraft and redirected them around the area where spacecraft debris was falling. “Normal operations have resumed,” the agency said in a statement.
At 5:55 p.m. ET, 18 minutes after Starship took off, a pilot radioed an air traffic controller at an air traffic control facility in San Juan. “We just had a big hit streak, from at least 60 miles away, there’s all these different colors, just curious. It looked like it was coming towards us, but obviously for that reason, just to let you know,” the pilot said.
Meanwhile, SpaceX founder Elon Musk shared a picture of debris in a post and appeared to make light of the situation, saying: “Entertainment guaranteed!”
SpaceX’s mega rocket launches its seventh test flight from the Starbase launch site near Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday. -SpaceX
The Starship spacecraft, stacked on the Super Heavy launch vehicle, launched flight at 5:37 p.m. ET (4:37 p.m. local time) on Thursday. The rocket booster revved up the 33 engines at its base, sending a loud roar across Starbase, the SpaceX launch site near Brownsville, Texas.
For the first time, one of those 33 Raptor engines has been in space before: SpaceX said it would reuse an engine recovered from the Super Heavy launch vehicle that flew during the company’s fifth test flight in October.
As the Super Heavy rocket booster – the lowest section, or first stage, of the Starship system – used up most of its fuel, SpaceX guided the Super Heavy back to a pinpoint landing at the launch site after separating from the Starship spacecraft.
The Starship spacecraft ignited its own engines and began flying through space.
The company steered the Super Heavy carrier precisely into the “rods,” the metal arms of “Mechazilla,” as SpaceX calls the launch tower, which also serves as a structural mechanism to catch rocket parts as they fly back out of the sky after launch.
SpaceX has only successfully recaptured a Super Heavy booster after launch, on the fifth fully integrated Starship test flight in October 2024.
The maneuver triggered a deafening sonic boom that reverberated across the landing site, which is in close proximity to the popular Texas tourist destination of South Padre Island.
Path for a “new generation” spacecraft.
While the Super Heavy successfully completed its landing attempt, the Starship spacecraft, or upper stage, was expected to continue drifting through space, reaching speeds almost high enough to enter orbit around Earth.
But the Starship spacecraft stopped providing telemetry data, suggesting that the spacecraft may have been lost.
“We expected the ship’s engine to shut down about 40 seconds ago,” SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said on the livestream during a crucial part of the ascent phase. “We’ve seen some of these engines fail before. And right now we’re just standing by and trying to get the latest information on where we are.”
Shortly after the update, the team confirmed the loss of the vehicle.
“We can confirm that we have lost the ship,” said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice.
According to SpaceX, before completing Starship’s ascent into space, a fire developed in the rear of the ship, resulting in an explosion and causing debris to fall into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined danger zones.
“Starship flew within its intended launch corridor – like all U.S. launches, to protect the public on the ground, at sea and in the air,” the company said on its website. “Any remaining debris would have fallen into the designated danger area. If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please do not attempt to directly handle or retrieve the debris. Instead, please contact your local authorities or the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or Recovery@spacex.com.”
Musk went to X, which he owns, to announce that “improved versions of the ship (and launch vehicle) are already waiting for launch.”
“Preliminary indications indicate that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship’s engine firewall that was large enough to build up pressure beyond the vent capacity,” Musk later added. “Aside from obviously checking again for leaks, we will be adding fire suppression to that volume and probably increasing the vent area. So far there is no indication that the next launch will be postponed beyond next month.”
Meanwhile, outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared his thoughts on X. “Congratulations to @SpaceX on Starship’s seventh test flight and second successful launch of the launch vehicle.” Space travel isn’t easy. It’s anything but routine. That’s why these tests are so important – each one brings us closer to #Artemis on our way to the Moon and on to Mars.”
SpaceX said the “new generation” Starship that flew on Thursday’s mission featured some significant improvements over previous versions. The changes included additional fuel capacity that could allow Starship’s engines to burn longer and generate more speed.
The vehicle also featured a more powerful flight computer, revised navigation and new antennas that SpaceX hoped would allow Starship to better communicate with the company’s space-based internet network, Starlink.
Crucially, SpaceX also tried, for the first time, to test how the Starship vehicle could deploy satellites. On board the spacecraft were ten dummy payloads that are roughly the same size and weight as SpaceX’s next generation of Starlink satellites.
About 17 minutes into the mission, SpaceX was scheduled to deploy the simulation satellites as part of a demonstration. As with Starship, the demo payloads were not expected to reach orbit. Rather, they would have been on a suborbital trajectory similar to Starship’s, which guaranteed they would be sunk in the ocean, the company said.
About an hour after launch, the Starship spacecraft was expected to make a controlled appearance in the Indian Ocean. The maneuver was intended to test how Starship could be recovered after future flights. But as with the last few test runs, the vehicle would have been thrown away and left to a watery grave.
SpaceX will go back and evaluate the data from the flight to determine what caused the spacecraft to fail, Huot said.
“It will take some time. In the next few hours, days we will find out exactly what happened, come back, get on the next flight and move forward,” he said. “As a reminder, this is a test of an experimental vehicle.”
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