BOCA CHICA, Texas – SpaceX’s attempt at a test mission involving its prized Starship spacecraft appeared to end in disaster on Thursday after debris was spotted raining down to Earth by bystanders in the Caribbean.
The private space company’s launch from Southeast Texas appeared to go off without a hitch at 4:37 p.m. local time, but just 10 minutes into the flight, data failed to return to mission control, signaling a potential catastrophic anomaly.
“Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn,” SpaceX said in a statement after the failure. “Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”
Before the apparent failure, SpaceX successfully brought its booster back to a safe landing at the launch site, marking a key moment in Thursday’s mission.
The spacecraft was expected to enter orbit and splash down in the Indian Ocean during its over-hour-long test mission.
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Videos and photos from the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos and other Caribbean islands showed debris raining through the atmosphere back down to Earth, but it remained unclear if any damage was caused on the ground.
Several commercial aircraft over the southwest Atlantic appeared to change course after debris was spotted raining down through the sky, but as of Thursday evening there had been no reported injuries associated with the event.
The FAA reported aircraft delays in South Florida associated with the event during the initial hours after the rocket’s demise.
“Congrats to SpaceX on Starship’s seventh test flight and the second successful booster catch. Spaceflight is not easy. It’s anything but routine. That’s why these tests are so important—each one bringing us closer on our path to the Moon and onward to Mars through Artemis,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson posted on social media following the event.
During a November test flight, SpaceX diverted an attempt to land the Super Heavy booster back at the Mechazilla tower, an effort expected to save the company money during spaceflights.
“As we were getting to the end of that ascent burn, we saw engines dropping out on telemetry,” SpaceX said during a Thursday webcast.
The cause of the catastrophic failure remained unclear during the initial hours after the event, but it will likely be the focal point of any federal investigation.
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During the test flight, Nasa planned to use high-tech equipment to monitor the Starship’s re-entry process and the heat produced during reentry.
Previous research has warned temperatures can reach upwards of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit due to a shuttle’s extreme friction in Earth’s atmosphere, which has posed significant challenges to space travel.
A recently updated timeline from NASA placed any attempt at a lunar landing in mid-2027, at the earliest, during an Artemis III mission, but it is unclear if the recent SpaceX failure will significantly alter the timeline.
Original article source: Watch: SpaceX Starship test flight disintegrates after launch, debris spotted in skies over Caribbean
