SpaceX hit a snag during its latest test flight of the Starship megarocket when the upper stage exploded, sending debris raining down and disrupting air traffic.
The 403-foot rocket’s upper-stage malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to spin out of control less than 10 minutes after liftoff. In a statement, SpaceX said an “energetic event” resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines, which caused the incident.
“This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship,” SpaceX said. “Final contact with Starship came approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.”
The rocket lifted off at about 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday from SpaceX’s Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas. The reusable first-stage Super Heavy booster was again caught by the company’s “Mechazilla” tower.
Videos posted to social media showed fiery debris shooting across the sky near Florida and the Bahamas after the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday briefly halted flights into several Florida airports, including Orlando International Airport, because of “space launch debris.”
The incident marked the second test in a row where Starship’s upper-stage malfunctioned and the rocket spewed debris. During a test in January, Starship rapidly disassembled during its ascent burn, raining debris over Turks and Caicos.
“Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now,” SpaceX livestream commentator Dan Huot said at the launch site.
The FAA said it would require SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation into the incident. The agency will need to sign off on SpaceX’s investigation before the next test can be conducted.
When the FAA approved SpaceX’s test last month, it noted that a mishap investigation into the January flight is still ongoing. It said that SpaceX had met all requirements for a test flight after conducting a comprehensive safety review.
“Today was a minor setback,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on the social media platform X, which he owns. “Progress is measured by time. The next ship will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks.”