A SpaceX rocket exploded just minutes after liftoff, with debris reaching as far as Philadelphia and causing flight delays in several states, including Florida.
This was the eighth test flight of the Starship rocket, and like previous attempts, it ended with the rocket breaking apart on Thursday. It seemed some of the engines failed, and the rocket started spinning out of control.
The rocket, which was unmanned, launched at 6:30 p.m. EST from Brownsville, Texas. Videos shared on social media showed the Starship breaking up mid-air.
Despite the explosion, SpaceX managed to land the rocket’s booster back at the launch tower.
“During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses,” SpaceX said in a post on X shortly after the incident.
Elon Musk’s company said it will review the data from the flight to understand what went wrong.
“As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability,” SpaceX added.
The explosion led to delays at airports across the country. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that flights were delayed at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International airports by up to 45 minutes due to “space launch debris.”
Philadelphia International Airport also experienced delays of over 30 minutes, the FAA said.
The FAA announced it is requiring SpaceX to investigate the rocket’s failure during launch on March 6.
“During the event, the FAA activated a Debris Response Area and briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location,” the FAA said. “Normal operations have resumed.”
Some witnesses captured the explosion on video and shared it on social media. Check it out below.
We just saw the SpaceX Starship 8 blow up. 💥💥💥 Seen from Turks and Caicos. pic.twitter.com/1AyGANrBfE
— Mark O’Henly (@SeeClickFlash) March 6, 2025
