SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program suffered another setback Thursday as the spacecraft spiraled out of control during a test flight, marking the second consecutive mission to encounter a major failure en route to orbit.
The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded flights into major Florida airports and rerouted others as a precaution against potential “space launch debris.” The agency has since mandated that SpaceX conduct a formal mishap investigation to determine the cause of the failure.
Starship launched atop its Super Heavy booster from Texas, initially appeared to perform as expected. The spacecraft successfully separated from the booster, which made a controlled return to the launchpad. However, just over eight minutes into the flight, telemetry data indicated that multiple Raptor engines aboard Starship had failed. Onboard footage showed the vehicle tumbling uncontrollably over the ocean.
“We just saw some engines go out; it looks like we are losing attitude control of the ship,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot reported during the live broadcast. “At this point, we have lost contact with the ship.”
Social media videos later confirmed Starship’s disintegration over the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. In response, SpaceX stated on X (formerly Twitter) that it had “immediately begun coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.”
This failure follows another dramatic test flight just weeks ago, during which Starship broke apart over the Turks and Caicos Islands, prompting the FAA to divert flights from the region.
An investigation into that incident revealed a propellant leak inside the spacecraft, leading to onboard fires and a communications blackout before the vehicle self-destructed.
Prior to Thursday’s launch, SpaceX implemented design improvements aimed at preventing similar issues. These included modifications to fuel lines, adjustments to propellant temperatures, and the addition of extra vents and a new purge system. Despite these changes, Starship failed to complete its test objectives, which included deploying four dummy Starlink satellites—a key step toward commercial operations.
SpaceX has taken a rapid-iteration approach to Starship’s development, learning from both successes and failures. With this latest setback, the company remains focused on refining the vehicle’s capabilities for future missions, including its long-term goal of making Starship fully reusable and capable of returning to the launch site for recovery.
“With Flight 8, we’re focused on finding the real-world limits of Starship so we can prepare to eventually return Starship to the launch site and catch it,” SpaceX posted on X.
As SpaceX works through these challenges, CEO Elon Musk has also been making headlines for his interactions with the federal government, including deploying personnel to the FAA, which oversees the company’s launches.
The outcome of the FAA’s latest investigation will likely determine the timeline for Starship’s next test flight and its path forward toward full operational status.
