The New York Times reports a Blue Origin rocket exploded during a ground test at a Florida launch facility Thursday evening. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. as the company was conducting prelaunch testing ahead of a future mission.
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Tag: Mishap
GA-ASI YFQ-42A CCA Prototype Crashes During California Test Flight
Aerotime reports, “A General Atomics YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype crashed shortly after takeoff in the California desert on April 6, 2026, dealing the US Air Force’s flagship drone-wingman program its first known flight mishap. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) said the incident occurred at approximately 13:00 Pacific time at a company-owned airport. No one was injured. The company has temporarily paused flight test operations while it investigates the root cause.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Video
YFQ-42A CCA Flight Testing | Credit: General Atomics; YouTube
First Australian-built Orbital Rocket Crashes Shortly After Liftoff
The Guardian reports, “The Eris rocket was built by Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space and briefly blasted off from the Bowen orbital spaceport in north Queensland on Wednesday morning, after months of waiting for the right conditions. The spaceship hovered for less than a minute before crashing in a giant plume of smoke, but it was history-making nonetheless – the attempted launch of an orbital rocket designed and made in Australia.”
Full Story (The Guardian)
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First Australian-made rocket crashes 14 seconds after liftoff.
Firstpost; YouTube
SpaceX Starship Upper Stage Explodes While Being Prepped for Next Engine Test Firing
CBS News reports a SpaceX Starship upper stage exploded in a spectacular conflagration during ramp-up to an expected engine test firing at the company’s Starbase manufacturing facility on the Texas Gulf Coast late Wednesday, destroying the rocket in what appears to be a major setback for the Super Heavy-Starship vehicle Elon Musk says is critical to the company’s future. “Video from LabPadre, a company that monitors SpaceX activities at Starbase, showed the Starship suddenly exploding in a huge fireball just after 11 p.m. CDT, 10 to 15 minutes before the anticipated engine test firing,” sending flaming debris shooting away into the overnight sky from a churning fireball that engulfed the test stand.
Full Story (CBS News)
Full Story (CBS News)
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SpaceX’s Starship explodes at its test site on June 18, 2025
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
SpaceX Says Engine Hardware Failure Caused Starship Flight 8 Mishap
Space News reports, “The failure of SpaceX’s Starship on its most recent test flight had a different root cause than the previous failure, despite happening at about the same time. SpaceX released details May 23 about the cause of the Flight 8 mishap that took place March 6, when several Raptor engines on the Starship upper stage shut down and the vehicle started to tumble.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX Starship launches on flight 8, catches booster but loses ship again (Launch at 00:25:35 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
FAA Temporarily Suspends Falcon 9 Launches to Investigate Booster Landing Mishap
Space News reports, “Falcon 9 launches are temporarily on hold as the Federal Aviation Administration looks into any public safety implications of the failed landing of a booster early Aug. 28. In an Aug. 28 statement, the FAA stated it was aware of the incident earlier that day when a Falcon 9 booster landed on a droneship on an otherwise successful launch of 21 Starlink satellites. Upon landing, flames erupted from the booster’s base and the vehicle tipped over seconds later.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)