Asger Risom
The world’s most powerful rocket reached space — then disintegrated before completing its flight.
In the high-stakes race toward deep space exploration, another test flight of SpaceX’s colossal Starship rocket ended in failure this week.
Though the 40-story-tall spacecraft successfully lifted off from Texas and reached space, it ultimately exploded over the Indian Ocean, adding to a growing list of high-profile setbacks for Elon Musk’s Mars-bound project.
The rocket, designed for both NASA’s Moon missions and Musk’s own ambition to colonize Mars, was carrying simulated satellite payloads.
It suffered a fuel leak that led to the loss of control and what SpaceX euphemistically described as an “unscheduled rapid disassembly.”
Another high-altitude failure
This marks the ninth test flight of Starship, and the third consecutive mission to end in destruction.
Earlier launches in January and March also failed, with upper stages exploding mid-flight. This time, the rocket made it to space but failed to deploy its test cargo — then lost control before descent.
It’s amazing to see it rise into the air.
said a spectator who had traveled to the Texas coast to witness the launch.
The rocket’s first stage booster, meant to crash into the Gulf of Mexico for data collection, also exploded prematurely. SpaceX did not attempt one of its signature mid-air captures — a maneuver typically used to test reusability.
Mars still in Musk’s sights
Despite repeated failures, Elon Musk remains focused on rapid iteration. Starship is central to his plan to make humanity a “multi-planetary species,” a backup plan in case Earth becomes uninhabitable.
He was expected to outline more details during a planned speech Tuesday, but the event was abruptly canceled.
The same rocket platform is also part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon.
Critics continue to raise environmental concerns about SpaceX’s Texas launch site, which borders protected natural areas.
In 2023, several groups filed lawsuits over what they called insufficient environmental reviews. Even so, the FAA recently authorized a significant increase in annual launch limits — from five to 25 per year.
Musk has promised that the next three launches will follow “every three or four weeks,” doubling down on his high-risk, high-speed development strategy.
As reported by Digi24, Starship may be exploding — but the pace of SpaceX’s ambition isn’t slowing down.