SpaceX's 'Starship' rocket launches from the company's Starbase facility in Texas.The latest test of SpaceX's massive Starship rocket ended in failure just minutes after launch.
Officials from Elon Musk's company confirmed that the upper stage was lost following complications after liftoff from Texas on Thursday.
However, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to its launchpad as planned, drawing cheers from ground control teams.
The test occurred just hours after the debut flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket system, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The two tech billionaires are competing to dominate the space vehicle market.
"Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will analyze data from today's flight test to better understand the root cause," SpaceX posted on X.
"With a test like this, success is measured by what we learn, and today's flight will contribute to improving Starship's reliability."
Unverified footage circulating on social media shows what appears to be the Starship rocket breaking apart in flames. Other videos captured orange balls of light streaking across the sky over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leaving trails of smoke behind.
"Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" Elon Musk posted on X, sharing a video of the fiery trail cutting through the sky. He added that "improved versions" of the Starship and its booster were "already waiting for launch."
Shortly after, Musk provided a preliminary explanation, stating that "an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall" likely caused a pressure buildup that exceeded vent capacity. However, he noted, "nothing so far suggests pushing the next launch past next month."
The launch video garnered 7.2 million views, according to a SpaceX livestream.
The Starship system lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, at 5:38 PM EST (22:38 GMT) during SpaceX’s seventh test mission. The upper stage successfully separated from its Super Heavy booster nearly four minutes into the flight, but communication with the ship was lost shortly after, according to SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot.
Despite the setback, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to its launchpad roughly seven minutes after liftoff, earning cheers from ground control teams.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledged the incident, stating, "An anomaly occurred during the SpaceX mission." The FAA briefly rerouted aircraft in the area where debris was falling but confirmed that normal operations had resumed.
This launch came just a day after SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying two privately built lunar landers and a micro rover to the Moon.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching its first rocket into orbit—a major step forward for the company after years of preparation.
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