SpaceX’s Starship rocket broke up minutes after launch, forcing airline planes over the Gulf of Mexico to change course to avoid falling debris, setting back Elon Musk’s rocket program.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket broke up minutes after launch, forcing airline planes over the Gulf of Mexico to change course to avoid falling debris, setting back Elon Musk’s rocket program.
SpaceX’s flight control center has lost contact with the newly upgraded 123-meter Starship rocket, which was carrying the first test payload of satellite mockups, but without a crew, Reuters reports.
After separating from the Starship, the super heavy launch vehicle performed a reverse maneuver and returned to the launch pad. The vehicle successfully decelerated before being picked up by the Mechazilla turret manipulators.
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/aq91TloYzY
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 16, 2025
However, during the ascent of the second stage of the Starship, several engines unexpectedly shut down. When the spacecraft was at an altitude of 146 kilometers, communication with it was lost. Video of the disaster shows orange balls of light piercing the sky over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake.
«We lost all communication with the ship — which essentially tells us that there was an anomaly with the booster», — said SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot.
The last time a Starship booster failed was in March of last year, when it was re-entering Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, but SpaceX accidents have rarely caused large-scale disruptions to air traffic.
Dozens of commercial flights were diverted to other airports or changed course to avoid potential debris, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24. Departures from airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were also delayed by about 45 minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates private space launch activities, said it briefly slowed traffic and redirected aircraft in the area of the space debris fall, but normal operations later resumed.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a video on X showing the debris field. «Success is uncertain, but fun is guaranteed!» he commented on the failed launch.
Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed! ✨
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2025
pic.twitter.com/nn3PiP8XwG
Interestingly, just yesterday, Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin launched its New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time. The launch of the nearly 100-meter rocket, which Blue Origin finally managed to carry out, revived the space race between two billionaires — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
