SpaceX loses contact with Starship during test flight, debris seen over Florida

The failure is another setback for SpaceX's whirlwind Starship development program. Musk, SpaceX's CEO, has pushed for swift advances in the rocket's development in 2025.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: March 7, 2025 07:55 AM IST

The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. (AP Photo)

SpaceX lost communication with its Starship rocket during a test mission on Thursday, leading to its failure in deploying a satellite demonstration. This marks the second unsuccessful Starship launch this year, as reported by Reuters.

Videos shared on social media showed debris streaking across the evening sky near south Florida and the Bahamas after the rocket broke apart in space. A live stream of the mission had earlier captured the rocket spinning out of control before communication was lost.

The 403-foot (123-metre) rocket took off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas at 6:30 p.m. ET (2300 GMT). The first-stage booster, Super Heavy, successfully returned to land as planned. However, moments later, the upper stage was seen tumbling in space, with several engines shutting down before SpaceX confirmed it had lost contact.

“Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we’ve got some practice now,” said SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot during the live stream.

Following the failure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed flight restrictions at airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando due to concerns over space debris, with restrictions in place until at least 8 p.m. ET.

The failure is a significant blow to Elon Musk’s ambitious plans for Starship, which he envisions as the future of space travel, capable of launching large satellite batches and even sending humans to the Moon and Mars. This comes just seven weeks after a previous Starship failure in January, when the rocket exploded in space, scattering debris over the Caribbean.

Musk confirmed the latest launch attempt on X , posting, “Starship launch attempt now!”

Soon after, eyewitnesses shared dramatic accounts of the failure on social media. One user from Boynton Beach, Florida, wrote, “I just saw Starship blow up in front of me.”

Another from Titusville posted, “RIP Starship Flight 8, just caught it exploding after a few engines cut off and it lost attitude control.”

A similar report came from the Bahamas, where a user wrote, “Just saw Starship 8 blow up in the Bahamas.”

SpaceX has not yet provided a complete report on the failure, but initial signs indicate that the upper stage lost control of its orientation. This mirrors the problem from January’s test flight, where leaking fuel led to fires that shut down the engines.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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