Image credit: Reuters

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's Starship rocket after its upper stage exploded during a test flight on January 18, 2025. The disintegration, which occurred over the Caribbean shortly after launch from Boca Chica, Texas, forced airline flights to reroute to avoid falling debris.

The FAA confirmed it is working with SpaceX and other authorities to investigate reports of damage to public property on the Turks and Caicos Islands. While no injuries were reported, the regulator has instructed SpaceX to conduct a "mishap" investigation to determine the cause of the explosion. The FAA will review the findings before allowing Starship to resume flights.

To manage the incident, the FAA activated a "debris response area," temporarily halting or slowing aircraft in the affected region. Several planes were forced to divert due to low fuel levels while awaiting clearance to enter the airspace.

A Setback for SpaceX's Ambitious Goals

Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, is a centerpiece of Elon Musk's vision to colonize Mars and support NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon. Thursday’s test marked the seventh flight for Starship and the first using a taller, upgraded version of the rocket.

The Starship system, comprising the Starship spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster, stands 123 meters (403 feet) tall and is designed to be fully reusable. During the test, the rocket lifted off at 5:38 p.m. EST, with the upper stage separating from the Super Heavy booster nearly four minutes into the flight as planned.

While the booster successfully returned to its launchpad seven minutes after liftoff, the upper stage lost contact with mission control shortly after separation. SpaceX later confirmed that the upper stage underwent a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," a term Musk often uses to describe explosions.

In a post on his social media platform X, Musk attributed the failure to an "oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall." Despite the mishap, he suggested that SpaceX remains on track for the next Starship launch, stating, "nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month."

NASA and Mars Ambitions

NASA plans to use a modified version of Starship as a human lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. In the longer term, Musk envisions Starship enabling human travel to Mars, with round trips expected to take about 18 months.

Competition Intensifies

The Starship test occurred hours after the first successful orbital launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket system, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The achievement marked a significant milestone for Bezos’ space company, which has faced delays in reaching this stage.

SpaceX’s Starship explosion represents a hurdle for Musk’s ambitious timeline, but the company’s test-to-failure approach is designed to identify and address engineering challenges. As SpaceX works with the FAA to investigate the incident, the race to dominate commercial space exploration continues to heat up.

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