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    SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes in the Sky Just Minutes After Its Launch – Video

    Kelly WhitewoodBy 3 Mins Read

    Passengers aboard a boat near the Bahamas witnessed the moment a SpaceX Starship exploded mid-flight, causing significant disruptions at airports as debris streaked across the sky.

    The rocket launched from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas at 5:30 p.m. CT on March 6, 2025, for its eighth test flight. Initially, everything proceeded as planned, with the Super Heavy booster igniting all 33 Raptor engines to propel Starship through its ascent’s first stage.

    Around two and a half minutes into the flight, the booster shut down most of its engines before separating from the upper stage as part of the scheduled sequence. Starship then ignited six Raptor engines to continue its ascent.

    During this time, the booster performed a controlled descent, reigniting most of its engines and landing successfully in the catch arms of the launch tower—an achievement SpaceX has now completed three times.

    Before reaching the target altitude, however, Starship experienced a failure in its aft section, causing the loss of several Raptor engines. This destabilized the vehicle, and approximately nine and a half minutes after launch, communication was lost.

    SpaceX later confirmed that the vehicle disintegrated unexpectedly. As it broke apart, bright streaks of debris were visible across the night sky, stretching from Florida to the Caribbean. Spectators, including those on boats in the Bahamas, captured the event, with some describing the rocket spinning before disintegrating.

    Brett Boswick, an eyewitness, recalled, “We saw a very big explosion—a fireball.” Another observer noted, “Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we’ve got some practice at this now.” In response to the debris, the FAA ordered ground stops at Miami International Airport and three other Florida airports.

    The launch had occurred within a designated safety corridor to ensure any falling debris would land in a controlled area. SpaceX later confirmed the wreckage didn’t contain hazardous materials and that no significant environmental impact was anticipated.

    The FAA stated that SpaceX would need to conduct a thorough investigation into the failure, determining the root cause and implementing corrective actions to prevent similar incidents in the future. The investigation’s goal is to improve public safety and verify that any safety concerns are addressed before a return to flight.

    SpaceX confirmed that its team immediately coordinated with safety officials and began analyzing flight data, emphasizing that insights from the test would help improve Starship’s future reliability.

    Following the incident, Elon Musk shared his thoughts on social media, acknowledging the difficulty of rocket launches with, “Rockets are hard.” He later added, “Today was a minor setback. Progress is measured by time. The next ship will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks.” Musk clarified the issue as an upper-stage failure but noted the valuable lessons learned for the new ship design and flight.

    Despite this setback, SpaceX remains a leader in global rocket launches, continuing to focus on Starship’s development for future missions.

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