SpaceX Starship Explodes Midflight in 2nd Test Failure

A SpaceX Starship test flight ended in failure on Thursday as the spacecraft exploded just minutes after launch, marking the second major setback for Elon Musk’s ambitious space program this year.

The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas at around 6:30 p.m. local time (2330 GMT).

The first stage performed as planned, with the booster successfully detaching and returning to Earth. However, the upper stage of the rocket began to spin uncontrollably as multiple engines failed, ultimately resulting in its destruction.

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted air traffic at several Florida airports as debris from the spacecraft rained down. SpaceX later confirmed that the Starship suffered what it called a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" during ascent.

This failure follows a similar incident in January, when another Starship test flight exploded approximately eight minutes after takeoff, scattering debris over several Caribbean islands.

Both tests this year failed at stages previously cleared by earlier launches, raising concerns over delays in Musk’s timeline to accelerate the program in 2025.

Despite the setbacks, SpaceX remains committed to its goal of sending humans to Mars by the end of the decade.

However, the company will need to conduct a thorough investigation before receiving regulatory approval for future test flights, according to the FAA.