SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft explodes midflight for a second time, disrupting Florida air traffic
During SpaceX's eighth test flight of Starship on March 6, the vehicle "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly," sending a trail of debris through the sky over Florida and the Caribbean.
By Ashley Strickland and Jackie Wattles, CNN Published Mar 7, 2025 4:03 AM CST Updated Mar 7, 2025 4:05 AM CST
A SpaceX Starship spacecraft, the upper portion of the most powerful launch system ever built, exploded during its eighth test flight Thursday, disrupting air traffic and marking the second consecutive failure for the vehicle this year.
The uncrewed Starship mission lifted off at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET) from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, with the spacecraft riding atop a 232-foot-tall (71-meter-tall) Super Heavy rocket booster.
After about 2 ½ minutes of firing, the Super Heavy booster separated as planned from the Starship’s upper stage, setting itself up for a successful landing within the “chopstick” arms of “Mechazilla,” or SpaceX’s launch tower near Brownsville, Texas. It’s the third time SpaceX has successfully executed the chopsticks booster catch.
But less than 10 minutes into the flight, the Starship craft, which had continued on toward space, began to experience issues. Several of the vehicle’s engines visibly cut out during the livestream, and the ship began to tumble before SpaceX lost contact with it.
