by When you purchase through links in our articles, Future and its syndication partners may receive a commission.
Earth as seen from the upper stage of SpaceX’s seventh Starship during its test flight on January 16, 2025. The vehicle suffered an anomaly and exploded in Earth’s atmosphere about 8.5 minutes after launch. | Photo credit: SpaceX
SpaceX knows how to put on a show.
The company launched the seventh flight test of its Starship mega-rocket this afternoon from its Starbase location in South Texas. The 403-foot (123-meter) tall vehicle successfully took off and reached the stage separation. And his first stage booster, called Super Heavy, made it back to the Starbase, where he was dramatically trapped by the “stick” arms of his launch tower.
But about eight minutes into the flight, SpaceX lost contact with the spacecraft’s upper stage, known as Ship. It is currently unknown what caused the problem, but one thing is certain: the ship went down with a bang.
The 171-foot (52-meter) spacecraft exploded over the Atlantic Ocean near the Turks and Caicos Islands about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, creating a spectacular celestial display watched by many people in the area.
And some of those people have posted their photos and videos on X, the social media site of SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Related: SpaceX catches Super Heavy launch vehicle in Starship Flight 7 test, but loses upper stage (video, photos)
RELATED STORIES:
– Starship and Super Heavy explained
— Will 2025 be the year of Starship? SpaceX’s mega rocket is coming of age.
– SpaceX is expected to receive FAA approval for 25 Starship launches in 2025
“Starship experienced a rapid, unscheduled dismantling during its ascent. 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,” SpaceX said of X this evening.
“Rapid unscheduled disassemblies” – SpaceX’s preferred term for explosions – are not uncommon in the development of new rockets.
And SpaceX certainly isn’t deterred by today’s results; The company is used to working quickly, flying frequently and incorporating the knowledge gained from test flights into the next vehicle build. And today there was a bright spot – the Super Heavy “chopstick” catch, which showcased SpaceX’s planned recovery strategy for both the launch vehicle and the ship.
Today’s snag was the second such snag for SpaceX, which first achieved the feat with Starship Flight 5 in October.
