SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Fiery Explosion
Thursday’s test flight of the SpaceX Starship, the upper segment of the world’s most potent launch system, ended in an explosive disaster, causing disturbances in air travel and becoming the second straight setback for the spacecraft this year. The mission, which was uncrewed, lifted off at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET) from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas. The Starship sat atop the 232-foot-tall (71-meter-tall) Super Heavy booster rocket. Approximately 2 ½ minutes into the launch, the Super Heavy booster successfully detached from the Starship’s upper stage and performed a precise landing with “chopstick” arms of “Mechazilla,” the launch tower located near Brownsville, Texas. This marks the third time SpaceX successfully executed such a maneuver.
Trouble arose less than 10 minutes into the flight as the Starship continued its ascent. Several engines visibly failed during the livestream, causing the spacecraft to tumble, which led to lost contact with it. “Once you lose enough of those central engines, you lose attitude control,” explained Dan Huot, SpaceX communications manager, during the livestream. “We saw the ship start to spin, and contact was lost.” This communication loss took place at roughly the same moment as the Starship’s previous explosion during Flight 7 in January, which scattered debris over the populated Turks and Caicos islands. As of Thursday’s mission, it remains unconfirmed where exactly the craft exploded. However, reports from residents of Florida and the Caribbean indicated the explosion was visible from those locales.
The Federal Aviation Administration took immediate action by halting flights into Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando airports Thursday evening due to “falling space debris.” Departures were temporarily suspended from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport, causing average delays of 30 to 45 minutes by Thursday night. Footage captured by Judy Burgett in Marathon, Florida, showed the Starship’s fiery end breaking apart as it moved east. Huot emphasized during the broadcast, “We have many precautionary measures, like debris response areas, and coordinate closely with air traffic control to ensure public safety. These measures have been effective and are actively utilized.”
Hours after the event, SpaceX released a detailed statement. “An energetic event in the aft portion of Starship before the ascent burn’s end led to several Raptor engines failing,” SpaceX stated. “This caused a loss of attitude control and ultimately broke communication with the Starship. Final contact was made approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.” The company assured that “any surviving debris would land within the pre-planned Debris Response Area” and confirmed there were no harmful materials in the debris nor significant effects on marine life or water quality. SpaceX advises contacting local authorities or their Debris Hotline if debris is found.
Meanwhile, the FAA mandates SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation. “The investigation aims to enhance safety, determine the root cause, and prevent future occurrences,” according to the FAA’s statement. The FAA will oversee the process and must approve SpaceX’s final report, plus corrective actions. Resuming flights depends on proving no safety threats remain related to the mishap.
This launch attempt was SpaceX’s second try at getting Flight 8 airborne, having called off Monday’s attempt due to “too many uncertainties,” as stated by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The seventh flight also resulted in an explosion occurring less than 10 minutes after launch. SpaceX suggests a rear compartment leak near the tank containing superchilled liquid oxygen might have been the cause.