Watch: SpaceX Starship explodes over Bahamas, minutes after lunch
The Starship rocket lifted off at about 6:30 pm local time from SpaceX's sprawling Boca Chica, Texas, rocket facilities. Dramatic footage circulating online captured red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas.
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX suffered yet another setback on Thursday after its Starship rocket exploded mid-air just minutes after it was launched from Texas. This is the second time this year a SpaceX Starship has exploded during launch.
CREDIT: REUTERS
SpaceX Starship explodes mid-air
The Starship rocket lifted off at about 6:30 pm local time from SpaceX's sprawling Boca Chica, Texas, rocket facilities. The Super Heavy first-stage booster flew back to Earth as planned and was successfully grabbed in midair by a SpaceX crane.
But minutes later, SpaceX's live stream showed the Starship upper stage spinning in space, while a visualisation of the rocket's engines showed multiple engines shutting down. Then the company said it had lost contact with the ship, and announcers immediately drew a connection to the previous flight.
CREDIT: REUTERS
"Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we've got some practice now," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said on the live stream.
Videos go viral
Dramatic footage circulating online captured red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas.
BREAKING: SpaceX Starship exploded and fell apart over the Bahamas. pic.twitter.com/Etm3U7IKKi
¡ª Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) March 7, 2025
#SpaceX #Starship major explosion here in the Ragged Islands Bahamas. Taking cover. pic.twitter.com/O9Aj3grnZR
¡ª GeneDoctor (@GeneDoctorB) March 6, 2025
We just saw the SpaceX Starship 8 blow up. ??? Seen from Turks and Caicos. pic.twitter.com/1AyGANrBfE
¡ª Mark O¡¯Henly (@SeeClickFlash) March 6, 2025
Flights delayed
Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly activated a "debris response area," delaying flights from airports stretching from Newark and Philadelphia to Miami.
CREDIT: REUTERS
The agency confirmed SpaceX will be required to conduct a mishap investigation before it can fly again.
BREAKING: The FAA is halting flights into Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando airports for "space launch debris" until at least 8 p.m. EST.
¡ª Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) March 7, 2025
The move follows the failed launch of SpaceX's Starship, which lifted off from Starbase in South Texas about 45 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/bX9vLSClde
It was not immediately clear whether the explosion was caused by SpaceX's automated flight termination system, which triggers when something on the rocket goes wrong. The ship showed signs of failure before its explosion.
What SpaceX said
"During Starship's ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost," SpaceX said in a statement. "Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses."
During Starship's ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.
¡ª SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 7, 2025
We will review the data from today's flight test to better¡
Second Starship fail in 2025
In January too, a Starship¡ªthe world's largest and most powerful rocket¡ªhad exploded during launch, after which the FAA had grounded it.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Last Friday, the agency allowed SpaceX to proceed with this latest test before finalising its investigation into that mishap.
Musk vs FAA over SpaceX
Musk, who leads Trump's DOGE, which aims to cut government spending and regulations, had been at odds with the FAA and several other agencies that are investigating his companies.
In the past, Musk has accused the FAA of over-regulating SpaceX over safety and environmental concerns.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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