A SpaceX Starship rocket, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, exploded in mid-air over Florida and the Bahamas on Thursday, March 6. The upper stage explosion was caused by the mega rocket's partial failure for the second consecutive time, moments after a successful booster recovery.
The Starship rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas's Boca Chica area at around 5.30 am (Texas local time), which is the 8th orbital test from SpaceX. However, the initial booster stage was successfully caught by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms, the upper stage tumbled uncontrollably before the live feed disconnected.
After the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted flight movements on the ground at multiple Florida airports. Several flights were stopped and diverted in the Caribbean region near the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA implemented ground stops at Miami International Airport (MIA), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL).
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SpaceX posted on X about the failed mission: "During Starship's ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly, and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordinating with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. "
Debris Over Bahamas After SpaceX Starship Falls Apart During Test Flight
Further, the Elon Musk firm stated that it would review data on the blast incident. "We will review the data from today's flight test to better understand the root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship's reliability," the X post reads.
SpaceX official Dan Huot referred to the January 16 test that saw the upper stage explode over the Caribbean, scattering debris. "Can confirm we did lose contact with the ship. Unfortunately, this happened last time, too."