SpaceX 403-foot Starship Explodes Mid-Flight, Scattering Debris Over Florida Skies
A SpaceX Starship spacecraft exploded during its eighth test flight, sending debris across the Florida skies and disrupting air traffic. The failure marks the second explosion in two months for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, raising concerns over Starship's reliability.
Details of the Test Flight
The uncrewed Starship mission launched at 5:30 PM CT (11:30 PM GMT) from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The 403-foot Starship was propelled by a 232-foot-tall (71-metre-tall) Super Heavy rocket booster, a critical component of the launch system.
Booster Separation and Landing Success
After nearly three minutes of firing, the Super Heavy booster separated as planned from Starship’s upper stage. The booster successfully landed within the “chopstick” arms of “Mechazilla”, SpaceX’s launch...