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.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for April 16th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope and a transformative figure in the Roman Catholic Church, has passed away at the age of 88, the Vatican confirmed in a video statement on Monday.
In India’s deadliest terrorist attack in nearly two decades, 26 people were killed and 17 injured when suspected militants opened fire on tourists in the Kashmir region, triggering national outrage and renewed concerns over security in the volatile territory.
Elon Musk announced he will sharply reduce his involvement in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency starting next month, shifting focus back to Tesla amid mounting investor pressure and falling sales.
Pedro Lucas Fernandes has declined President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s offer to become Minister for Communications—a key post that oversees the country’s telecoms and postal system.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Chinese citizens are working at a drone production site in Russia and suggested that Moscow may have “stolen” drone technology from China
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday stated his readiness to negotiate with Russia “in any format” once a ceasefire takes effect. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly proposed halting his invasion at the current front lines, according to the Financial Times.
In India’s deadliest terrorist attack in nearly two decades, 26 people were killed and 17 injured when suspected militants opened fire on tourists in the Kashmir region, triggering national outrage and renewed concerns over security in the volatile territory.
Elon Musk announced he will sharply reduce his involvement in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency starting next month, shifting focus back to Tesla amid mounting investor pressure and falling sales.
The global economy, already fragile, now faces a new shock—this time from the United States. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff wave has dragged average U.S. duties to levels unseen in over a century. The trade war with China is escalating fast.
Sam Altman has stepped down as chair of nuclear start-up Oklo, citing a potential conflict of interest ahead of talks with OpenAI over a future energy supply deal. The move comes as the pressure mounts to power artificial intelligence with stable, low-carbon energy sources.
Pedro Lucas Fernandes has declined President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s offer to become Minister for Communications—a key post that oversees the country’s telecoms and postal system.
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