The launch on March 6th was marred by a malfunction when several of the launcher's engines exploded, which subsequently caused the Starship spacecraft to explode and its fragments to fall into the atmosphere and endanger flight paths.
March 6, 2025 – SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft suffered a second consecutive failure during a test launch from Texas, breaking up in midair minutes after liftoff. This was the eighth test flight (Flight 8) of the combined Starship and Super Heavy launch system – the most powerful rocket SpaceX has built to date.
According to SpaceX, the giant launcher launched from Starbase in South Texas in the evening. In the initial phase, it successfully separated from the super-heavy booster and returned to land when it was “caught” by the mobile arms of the launch tower, known as “Mechazilla” – this is the third time out of four missions that they have managed to hunt down the booster in this way. However, less than 10 minutes later, a malfunction occurred in the Starship’s upper engines, and several of them shut down one after the other, causing the spacecraft to lose control and break up over the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. To observers on the ground, it looked like a meteor show as the fragments re-entered the atmosphere, except that they were man-made meteors
The rocket parts (space debris) fell in various areas – including over the Caribbean Sea and the southern states of the US. This led to delays in aircraft movement in major cities such as Miami and Philadelphia. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) even activated a "debris response zone" and temporarily prevented aircraft from entering areas where fragments were detected falling. After the tests were completed, the airports returned to almost full functionality, but significant delays were recorded in schedules.
The FAA announced that SpaceX will be required to conduct a mishap investigation to examine the causes of the incident and prevent its recurrence in the future. This is the second consecutive time that a Starship has exploded during a test flight – during the previous test flight (Flight 7) last January, the spacecraft began to lose control just minutes after launch and caused debris to scatter over islands in the Caribbean.
Starship is considered a central component of SpaceX's long-term plans, including launching the next-generation Starlink satellites and building a lunar version for NASA's Artemis missions, which are expected to land astronauts on the moon in the coming years. Despite the two recent failures, the company emphasizes that each test provides essential lessons that will improve the reliability of the launcher in the future. The FAA noted that "return to launch" will be possible only after appropriate measures are found and implemented to ensure public and airspace safety.
Starship is the spacecraft in SpaceX's giant launch system, consisting of two stages: Super Heavy – A booster that rises to about 71 meters (232 feet) and is powered by about 33 Raptor engines andStarship The upper stage itself, which is about 50 meters long and includes 6 additional Raptor engines. Together, the complete system reaches a total height of about 120 meters and is considered the most powerful rocket developed to date.
The eighth test flight (Flight 8) It took off on March 6, 2025 from Starbase in South Texas. During liftoff, the super-heavy booster separated from the upper spacecraft as planned and returned for a successful landing when it was "caught" by the tower's arms ("Mechazilla") - this is the third time out of four missions in which the company has succeeded in performing this "capture".
In the second phase, after about 8–9 minutes of flight, Starship itself began to lose engines at a rapid rate in its rear section, which led to a loss of attitude control and the spacecraft breaking up in midair.
According to a SpaceX statement released a few hours after the incident, "Before the main engine burn was complete, an energetic event occurred in the aft area of Starship, resulting in the shutdown of several Raptor engines. This led to the loss of stability of the spacecraft and the loss of contact with it approximately 9 and a half minutes after launch." The company emphasized that the rocket's remains, if they survived re-entry, fell within the area designated for this purpose in advance and that no significant toxic effects on the environment are expected.
The company said it would conduct a thorough Mishap Investigation in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to determine the exact cause of the failure and prevent its recurrence. “As always, success is measured by what is learned. This flight will provide additional lessons to improve Starship reliability,” the statement said. The company also noted that the many changes made after the previous failure in January will help improve the design, but further improvements and assessments will be required for future flights.
Despite the two recent failures, Starship is a key component of SpaceX's plans to launch the next generation of Starlink satellites, as well as in service of NASA's Artemis program to return astronauts to the surface of the moon in the coming years. Design innovations, including a new ventilation system and a "purge" mechanism to prevent flare-ups in the rear parts of the spacecraft, are being tested with the aim of bringing the launcher to a higher level of reliability down the road.
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