
Elon Musk’s Starship breaks up in space after launch
A SpaceX Starship prototype disintegrated in flight minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course due to falling debris and posing a setback to Elon Musk‘s flagship rocket program.
Communication lost mid-flight
The upgraded Starship, carrying its first test payload of mock satellites, lost communication with SpaceX mission control eight minutes after its 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT) liftoff from South Texas. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot confirmed the anomaly, stating, “We did lose all communications with the ship – that is essentially telling us we had an anomaly with the upper stage.”
Video footage captured orange balls of light streaking across the sky over Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, leaving trails of smoke, confirming the dramatic disintegration of the upper stage.
First night in Turks and Caicos and we’re on the beach and see this.
— KingDomRedux (@KingDomRedux) January 16, 2025
Impact on air traffic
The failure disrupted air travel as flights were diverted or grounded. At Miami International Airport, some flights were halted, while at least 20 commercial flights altered their routes to avoid debris, according to FlightRadar24. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees private space launches, announced it was assessing the incident.
The FAA temporarily closed airspace and created a “debris response area” to protect aircraft. Normal operations resumed shortly after.
Details of the test and failure
The test marked the seventh flight of a Starship prototype since 2023, part of Musk’s multibillion-dollar effort to develop a reusable rocket capable of carrying humans and cargo to Mars and deploying satellites into orbit. The new-generation Starship was a taller and more advanced version of its predecessors, with upgrades aimed at enhancing performance.
Elon Musk shared a preliminary analysis on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that an oxygen and fuel leak near the engine firewall likely caused the failure. He added that SpaceX plans to address the issue with fire suppression systems and increased vent capacity, stating, “Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month.”
Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.
Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 17, 2025
Booster success amid upper-stage failure
While the upper stage failed, the Super Heavy booster performed as intended. Seven minutes after liftoff, the booster decelerated from supersonic speeds and executed a successful return to the launch tower, using its Raptor engines to latch onto mechanical arms. Ground control erupted in applause at the successful maneuver.
Commercial space race update
SpaceX’s test comes as competition in the commercial space race intensifies. On the same day, Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket, owned by Jeff Bezos, reached orbital space for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the company.
Moving forward
Despite the setback, Musk maintained an optimistic tone, highlighting SpaceX’s “test-to-failure” approach to innovation. “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” Musk posted on X, reflecting the company’s commitment to pushing the limits of engineering to achieve its ambitious goals.
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Failures are inherent part of the business. Space scientists will be able to overcome it.