SpaceX’s massive Starship spacecraft exploded in space. The explosion happened minutes after it launched. It happened in Texas on March 6, 2025 (Thursday). Also, it counts as the second straight failure for Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program in this year. Continue reading to see out how a SpaceX spaceship rocket bursts after launch.
Explosion in space
Videos on social media showed fiery debris. The debris landed around South Florida and the Bahamas. The starship launched into space. It also whirled erratically. This was after its engines were cut off. The failure of this test comes just a month after the last test also ended in an explosion. These mishaps happened early in the mission.
Moreover, SpaceX had passed this point easily before. This is a setback for Musk’s program. Thus, he wanted to speed up the program this year. This 403-foot rocket was inherent to his plan. He wants to send humans to Mars. This is planned as soon as the turn of the decade.
Flight Grounded
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly stopped air traffic. The ground stop affected the Miami, Fort Lauderale, Palm Beach and Orlando airports. Moreover, the FAA halted flights. It was because of “space launch debris”. An investigation is opened to look into the incident.
Launch and Booster Return
The rocket launched around 6:30 p.m. ET. SpaceX’s Boca China, Texas rocket facilities was responsible for the location. The Super Heavy first-stage booster returned to Earth as anticipated. A SpaceX crane successfully caught it in midair.
Starship Failure
SpaceX’s live stream showed the upper stage of the Starship rotating in space. This occurred after a few minutes of the blast. In addition, a visualization showed many engines shutting down. The business then reported it had lost contact with the ship. Additionally, announcers linked this failure to the prior flight.
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said this happened last time as well. Now, they have to practice dealing with it. Also, SpaceX claimed to launch it as an energetic event. This is in its art section. Many engines were lost due to this.
This led to a loss of control and communication. Moreover, final contact with Starship happened. This was after 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff. SpaceX mentioned that there were no toxic materials in the debris.
Previous Failure
The Starship malfunction in January occurred eight minutes into the flight. The rocket exploded. Debris showered on the Caribbean islands. It also caused minor damage to an automobile on the Turks and Caicos Islands.
FAA Investigation
The FAA investigates private rocket launches. Their investigation requires SpaceX needs the FAA’s approval. This is before Starship can fly again. The FAA approved SpaceX’s launch license for Thursday’s test flight. This happened while the investigation into the previous failure was still ongoing. The FAA said it reviewed SpaceX’s application. Also, it checked early details from the company’s investigation. They determined that the Spaceship’s eighth flight could proceed.
Flight Goals
Starship was aiming for a full orbit around Earth. It was supposed to re-enter over the Indian Ocean for a splashdown. This stimulates a landing sequence. SpaceX wants to carry out this landing on land soon. It is a key next phase of the rocket’s development.
