Flights at several major airports in Florida, including Orlando International Airport, were briefly grounded after a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch on Thursday. The incident occurred during the spacecraft’s eighth test mission, marking another setback for SpaceX’s ambitious spaceflight program.
Launch and Malfunction
The Starship rocket, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, lifted off at 6:30 PM ET (11:30 PM GMT) from the company’s Texas facility. The test was aimed at advancing Musk’s vision of deploying a reusable rocket capable of transporting multiple satellites into space. However, shortly after launch, the engines failed, causing the spacecraft to spin uncontrollably and ultimately explode mid-air.
A livestream of the event captured the moment the upper component of the rocket began to sway, followed by a loss of signal and pixelated visuals before the explosion. While the rocket’s super heavy booster successfully returned to land as planned, the upper stage failed to maintain stability.
Impact on Air Travel
Following the explosion, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary ground stop for flights at several major Florida airports. The FAA cited “space launch debris” as the cause of flight delays, which averaged around 30 minutes in Miami. Flights resumed later in the evening as conditions were deemed safe.
This is the second time a failed SpaceX Starship launch has resulted in flight disruptions. A similar incident in January led to an explosion over the Caribbean, prompting another temporary halt to air travel.
SpaceX Response and Future Prospects
SpaceX acknowledged the malfunction in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), confirming the loss of contact with the spacecraft. The company described the event as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” a term often used to denote an unintended explosion.
“Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we’ve got some practice at this now.” SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said on the livestream. “The primary reason we do these flight tests is to learn. We have some more to learn about this vehicle, but we’re going to be right back here in the not-too-distant future, and we’re going to get a ship to space.”
Regulatory Oversight and Investigation
Following the January failure, the FAA briefly grounded SpaceX’s Starship program and launched an investigation. Given the recurrence of the issue, further scrutiny from federal regulators is expected. The ongoing tests are part of SpaceX’s broader efforts to develop a spacecraft capable of interplanetary travel, including potential missions to Mars.
While setbacks like these highlight the challenges of pioneering reusable spaceflight, SpaceX remains committed to refining its Starship technology. Future test flights are anticipated as the company works toward achieving its long-term objectives in space exploration.