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SpaceX Starship loses control | Contact lost before exploding | Night sky lit over Caribbean | N18G

SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded in space shortly after liftoff from Boca Chica, Texas. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket system launched at around 6:30 p.m. ET, with the Super Heavy booster successfully returning to land. However, minutes after launch, the upper stage of Starship began spinning uncontrollably, and the rocket's engines shut down. SpaceX lost contact with the spacecraft, and the mission ended in failure. Videos from the Bahamas and south Florida showed fiery debris streaking across the sky. This marked SpaceX's second consecutive failure for the Starship program in 2025, following a similar explosion in January. The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops at airports in Florida due to space debris. The failure undermines Elon Musk’s ambitious plans to develop Starship for satellite deployment, as well as for human missions to the Moon and Mars, marking a setback for SpaceX’s rapid development goals.

first published: Mar 7, 2025 10:22 am