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SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded during its eighth test flight, scattering debris across Florida and the Bahamas shortly after reaching space.

By Aniket Chakraborty

Mar 10, 2025

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The mission aimed to test the rocket's capabilities, deploy four dummy Starlink satellites, and perform reentry maneuvers before the disaster.

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Video live feed captured the upper stage tumbling before the signal cut out, marking a dramatic end to the test flight.

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This failure follows a previous incident in January when another Starship exploded over the Caribbean, raining debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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SpaceX had implemented modifications to address previous issues, including adjustments to propellant lines and adding vents to reduce fire risks.

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The explosion triggered ground stops for flights departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Palm Beach airports for over an hour.

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Departures at these Florida airports were delayed by an average of 45 minutes due to the SpaceX incident, according to the FAA.

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The FAA is requiring SpaceX to "perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle during launch operations on March 6."

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Just two days earlier, on March 4, SpaceX had postponed this test when computers flagged a booster issue with only 23 minutes left in the countdown.

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The setback comes as SpaceX continues developing its ambitious program to establish a reusable rocket system for human transport to the Moon and Mars.

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