SpaceX’s Starship rocket experienced an explosive failure minutes after liftoff on Thursday, with debris raining over parts of the Caribbean and prompting temporary air traffic halts in parts of Florida.
The incident marks the second consecutive failure for the company’s Mars rocket program this year.
The rocket, a 403-foot (123-meter) system central to Elon Musk’s plans for human missions to Mars, lifted off at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s Boca Chica launch facility in Texas. While the Super Heavy first stage booster returned to Earth as planned and was successfully recovered by a SpaceX crane, the upper stage—known as Starship—began spinning uncontrollably after its engines shut down. Shortly thereafter, telemetry was lost, and videos circulating on social media showed fiery debris streaking across the dusk skies near south Florida and the Bahamas.
SpaceX confirmed in a late statement that an "energetic event" in the aft section of Starship led to the loss of several engines, which in turn caused a loss of attitude control and communication with the spacecraft. “Final contact with Starship came approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff,” the company stated. SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot commented on the live stream, “Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we've got some practice now.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to the incident by issuing temporary ground stops at airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando, citing concerns over “space launch debris.” The agency has opened an investigation into the mishap and will require SpaceX to determine the cause of the failure and secure FAA approval before any further flights.
This eighth Starship test attempt follows an earlier failure in January, when the rocket exploded eight minutes into flight, resulting in debris over Caribbean islands and minor damage in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Despite the setbacks, SpaceX remains focused on refining the Starship system, which is intended to complete nearly a full orbit around Earth and execute a controlled re-entry over the Indian Ocean—a precursor to future land-based landing tests.
A dispute between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and billionaire White House adviser Elon Musk erupted during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to The New York Times.
President Donald Trump told his Cabinet that they—not Elon Musk—are in charge of their departments, following backlash over mass firings led by Musk’s agency, DOGE.
A U.S. federal judge has rejected Elon Musk’s request for an injunction that would have immediately halted OpenAI’s conversion into a for-profit entity.
Italy’s parliament has rejected opposition amendments aimed at restricting the government from acquiring satellite services from companies outside the European Union.
Over the past two months, tech billionaire Elon Musk has increasingly promoted far-right political causes in Europe, notably lending his support to Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
Pope Francis continues his treatment for pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, as people gather outside to pray near the statue of the late Pope John Paul II, offering support during this challenging time.
President Donald Trump is preparing a new travel ban that could block entry for people from Afghanistan and Pakistan as early as next week. The move is part of an intensified immigration crackdown.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, will chair the 20th EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting hosted this year by Turkmenistan, in Ashgabat, on 4 March.
Heavy rainfall in northwestern Peru has caused a river to overflow, destroying infrastructure, flooding agricultural lands, and affecting at least 150 families in Tumbes province.
Two buses have collided in Barcelona today, Monday 3 March which has left 51 people injured, four of which are said to be critical.
Election posters from the Inuit Ataqatigiit party are seen in Nuuk ahead of the March 11th general election in Greenland.
Pope Francis continues his treatment for pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, as people gather outside to pray near the statue of the late Pope John Paul II, offering support during this challenging time.
Pope Francis continues his treatment for pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, as people gather outside to pray near the statue of the late Pope John Paul II, offering support during this challenging time.
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