Tag: Starship

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)



 Video

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)

SpaceX Receives FAA Approval to Increase Rate of Starship Launches from Texas

Reuters reports, “SpaceX received key U.S. regulatory approval on Tuesday to increase the annual rate of Starship rocket launches from Texas and booster landings in various bodies of water, allowing” the space company “to significantly expand development of its giant Mars rocket … The Federal Aviation Administration, capping a years-long review, said SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of Texas Starship launches from five to 25 would not have a major impact on the surrounding environment, nor would associated booster landings or potential rocket explosions over the Gulf of Mexico and some international waters.”
Full Story (Reuters)

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Disrupts Florida Airports With Unsuccessful Test Flight

The New York Times reports, “Starship — the huge spacecraft that Elon Musk says will one day take people to Mars — failed during its latest test flight on Thursday when its upper stage exploded in space, raining debris and disrupting air traffic at airports from Florida to Pennsylvania. It was the second consecutive test flight of the most powerful rocket ever built where the upper-stage spacecraft malfunctioned. It started spinning out of control after several engines went out and then lost contact with mission control.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

 

 

 

 

Video

SpaceX Starship launches on flight 8, catches booster but loses ship again (Launch at 00:25:35 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

Mishap Causes SpaceX to Reexamine Starship’s Upper Stage

Aviation Week reports SpaceX’s “effort to demonstrate payload deployment, land its upper stage and potentially achieve spaceship-to-spaceship fuel transfer this year had an inauspicious start when the Starship system suffered a setback during the Jan. 16 flight. Minutes after launch, the Block 2 upper stage broke up when a fire developed in the aft section.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

 

 

 

 

Video

A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded shortly after launching on its seventh test flight.
(Brut India; YouTube)

SpaceX’s 7th Starship Test Launch Prompts FAA Investigation

Via Satellite reports, “SpaceX’s dramatic Starship test on Thursday afternoon has triggered a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mishap investigation after debris from the test impacted air travel and may have damaged public property in Turks and Caicos. SpaceX launched the seventh flight test for its massive Starship rocket on Jan. 16, testing extensive upgrades to the vehicle for the first time. After a successful liftoff, stage separation, and recapturing the booster on land, SpaceX lost communication with the ship, which broke apart over the Caribbean.”
Full Story (Via Satellite)

SpaceX Starship Rocket Is Lost During 7th Test Launch, Causing Debris to Fall

The New York Times reports, “The seventh test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket failed on Thursday as the vehicle’s upper stage experienced a catastrophic malfunction as it headed upward to space. SpaceX was able to achieve some success by repeating the feat of catching the gargantuan Super Heavy booster back at the launchpad.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

 

 

 

 

 

Video

A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded shortly after launching on its seventh test flight.
(Brut India; YouTube)

AIAA Statement on Sixth SpaceX Starship Test Flight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Clay Mowry:

“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on its sixth test flight of Starship. We’re following with anticipation SpaceX’s progress through its rapid, iterative testing of this new launch vehicle. The engineering advances demonstrated by the SpaceX team are accelerating our return to the moon and traveling to Mars. We know the team is learning valuable lessons from the engineering data gathered during this sixth test flight.

AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who have helped design, build, and test Starship. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member SpaceX for taking this step forward in shaping the future of aerospace.”

Media contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SpaceX Launches Super Heavy-Starship on Sixth Test Flight

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched the world’s most powerful rocket on its sixth test flight Tuesday, an up-and-down trip to space by a gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship to evaluate a variety of safety and performance upgrades. Shattering the afternoon calm with an ear-splitting roar, the huge 30-foot-wide, 397-foot-tall rocket blasted off from Musk’s sprawling Boca Chica, Texas, manufacturing and test facility on the Gulf Coast near Brownsville at 5 p.m. EST, the opening of a 30-minute launch window.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX launches Starship on 6th test flight, November 19, 2024 (Launch at 1:29:33 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)