Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX faced a setback as its Starship rocket exploded shortly after liftoff. The incident occurred on January 16, minutes after the rocket launched from Texas. Debris from the Starship scattered over the Gulf of Mexico, prompting warnings to various airlines to avoid the area as a precaution.
The Starship was carrying experimental satellites during the test launch and exploded just eight minutes into its flight. SpaceX Communication Manager Dan Huot explained, “We lost all communication with the spacecraft due to an anomaly in the rocket’s upper stage. The last major issue with Starship was observed in March of last year.”
The explosion caused dozens of commercial flights to reroute to avoid debris, with delays of up to 45 minutes reported at airports like Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Sharing a video of the debris on X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remarked, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” Musk later stated that an initial assessment indicated an internal leak in the liquid oxygen fuel section caused pressure issues, leading to the failure.
U.S. regulatory authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Musk plans to conduct at least 12 Starship launches this year, marking the seventh test for the ambitious spacecraft designed to transport humans and cargo to Mars.
