Starship explodes over Indian Ocean after failed test flight

SpaceX’s Starship prototype exploded over the Indian Ocean during its ninth test flight, marking another setback in Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to send humans to Mars. The massive rocket launched from SpaceX’s Starbase in southern Texas at 6:36 p.m. local time but encountered problems shortly after liftoff.

The first-stage Super Heavy booster failed to complete its planned landing in the Gulf of Mexico and exploded. Meanwhile, the upper-stage vehicle experienced technical issues, including the failure to open its doors to release simulated Starlink satellites. Although the rocket flew farther than during previous tests, it suffered leaks and began spinning uncontrollably in space. The mission was cut short 45 minutes into the intended 66-minute flight, ending far from its target splashdown near Australia.

SpaceX confirmed the mishap in a post on X, referring to it as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” a term the company often uses to describe test failures. Elon Musk responded by promising to increase the pace of launches to one every three to four weeks.

The Starship system, standing at 403 feet (123 meters), is the most powerful rocket ever built and is designed to be fully reusable. It is central to both Musk’s Mars colonization plans and NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

Despite the setback, enthusiasm remains high among engineers and fans. Spectators gathered near the launch site, some traveling internationally just to witness the event. Space enthusiasts emphasized the scientific value of each test, regardless of the outcome.

This was the ninth integrated test flight for Starship and the first since test two in which both the booster and spacecraft were lost. SpaceX continues to embrace its “fail fast, learn fast” philosophy, which has helped it lead in the commercial spaceflight industry. One milestone achieved in recent tests was catching the Super Heavy booster with robotic arms an innovation aimed at increasing rocket reusability and reducing costs.

For this launch, SpaceX reused a Super Heavy booster for the first time but chose not to catch it, testing a more aggressive descent profile instead. Recently, the FAA approved a higher annual launch rate for Starship, increasing it from five to 25, dismissing environmental concerns from conservation groups.