SpaceX Suspects Fire Caused Starship Launch Failure, Sending Flaming Debris Near Caribbean

FAA Orders Investigation into the Incident, as SpaceX Examines Possible Fuel Leak and Engine Failure

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX believes a fire may have triggered the catastrophic failure of its Starship rocket during liftoff, resulting in flaming debris falling near the Caribbean.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, indicated that preliminary findings suggest a fuel leak created pressure buildup in the engine compartment, causing a fire that ultimately led to the spacecraft’s destruction. The fire is thought to have caused the rocket to break apart mid-flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an order on Friday requiring SpaceX to conduct a thorough investigation into the mishap. No injuries were reported from the falling Starship debris, although flights near the wreckage had to be rerouted, according to the FAA.

The 400-foot-tall Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket in the world, lifted off from southern Texas on Thursday evening for a test flight. While the booster successfully made it back to the pad for a second catch by mechanical arms, the spacecraft’s engines began shutting down sequentially as it continued to ascend, and communication was lost 8 1/2 minutes into the flight.

Dramatic footage from near the Turks and Caicos Islands captured the spacecraft’s debris falling through the sky in fiery trails. SpaceX confirmed that the Starship had remained within its designated launch corridor over the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, meaning any surviving wreckage likely fell into water.

The test flight had aimed for a controlled re-entry over the Indian Ocean, with 10 dummy satellites—intended to mimic SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites—on board for deployment practice.

While this was the seventh Starship test flight, it marked the first flight of an upgraded version of the spacecraft. The FAA emphasized that it must approve both SpaceX’s findings and any corrective actions before future flights.

SpaceX reported that the booster and spacecraft for the next test are already in place and undergoing testing. Musk downplayed the setback, referring to it as “barely a bump in the road” as he works toward his goal of building a fleet of Starships for missions to Mars.

NASA has already contracted SpaceX to use two Starships for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade as part of the Artemis program, the successor to the Apollo missions.

“Spaceflight is not easy. It’s anything but routine,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson tweeted following the incident. “That’s why these tests are so important.”

In a separate launch earlier Thursday, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company faced mixed results with its own debut of the New Glenn rocket. The rocket achieved orbit on its first attempt, successfully placing a test satellite in space, but the booster was destroyed after failing to land on a floating platform in the Atlantic.