Starship rains fire again shortly after launch – first stage caught

Last night, SpaceX conducted the eighth test launch of the Starship spacecraft with the super-heavy launch vehicle Super Heavy, which, like the previous test flight, ended with the loss of the ship. At the same time, the Super Heavy rocket returned to Earth and successfully landed on the launch pad, where it was caught by the manipulators of the special Mechazilla system.

Image source: Spacex

SpaceX launched Starship from its Starbase launch pad in South Texas on Thursday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET (Friday, March 7 at 2:30 a.m. PT). The initial phases of the ship’s flight went as planned, including stage separation and the return to Earth of the Super Heavy booster, which was snatched by the Mechazilla system for the third time in four missions beginning in October 2024.

But eight minutes later, four of the six Raptor engines in Starship’s upper stage suddenly failed, and the rocket, losing control of its orientation, began tumbling while still broadcasting video. And about a minute later, SpaceX lost contact with the ship, which exploded shortly thereafter.

According to a statement SpaceX posted on its website hours after the flight, an explosion occurred in the upper stage before the end of the ascent, causing the loss of several Raptor engines. “This, in turn, resulted in a loss of attitude control and, ultimately, the loss of communication with Starship. The last contact with Starship occurred approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff,” the company said.

The explosion and impact were visible in parts of the Caribbean, from the Dominican Republic to the Bahamas and as far north as the Florida coast. SpaceX said Starship was flying within a designated launch corridor to ensure public safety, and any surviving debris was expected to fall within the safety zone.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed airspace in parts of the Caribbean during the test flight, causing some airline flights to be delayed or diverted to other airports in the country. “The FAA is requiring SpaceX to conduct an investigation into the March 6 launch loss of Starship,” the FAA said in a statement shortly after the incident.

The second failed Starship test launch in a row is a major setback for SpaceX’s spacecraft, which plays a big role in the company’s plans to deploy larger, next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. The ship was carrying four mock-ups of the satellites that were supposed to launch during its suborbital flight.

Starship is also critical to NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, which is scheduled to carry astronauts to the Moon in 2027.