SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes in the Sky Just Minutes After Its Launch – Video

Passengers on a boat near the Bahamas captured the moment a SpaceX Starship exploded midair. The incident also caused major airport disruptions as debris streaked across the sky.

The rocket launched from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas at 5:30 p.m. CT on March 6, 2025, for its eighth test flight. Initially, the mission progressed as planned, with the Super Heavy booster igniting all 33 Raptor engines to propel Starship through the first stage of its ascent.

Around two and a half minutes into the flight, as part of its scheduled sequence, the booster shut down most of its engines before separating from the upper stage. Starship then ignited six Raptor engines and continued its ascent.

Meanwhile, the booster executed a controlled descent, reigniting most of its planned engines and successfully landing in the launch tower's catch arms. This is a maneuver that SpaceX has now completed successfully for the third time.

Before reaching the intended altitude, Starship experienced a failure in its aft section, which resulted in the loss of multiple Raptor engines. This caused the vehicle to lose stability, and approximately nine and a half minutes after launch, all communication with the rocket was lost.

SpaceX later reported that the vehicle had disassembled unexpectedly. As the rocket broke apart, bright streaks of debris became visible in the night sky, stretching from Florida to the Caribbean. Spectators in various locations observed the event, with some capturing videos that showed the spacecraft spinning before disintegrating.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing debris falling from the sky. Brett Boswick, who was watching the launch from a boat near the Bahamas, described the scene, saying, "We saw a very big explosion — a fireball."

"Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we've got some practice at this now," another observer commented on the anomaly. In response to the debris, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered ground stops at Miami International Airport and three other major airports in Florida.

The launch had taken place within a designated corridor to ensure that any falling debris would remain within a predetermined area. SpaceX later confirmed that the wreckage contained no hazardous materials and that no significant environmental impact was expected.

The FAA later confirmed that SpaceX would need to conduct a full mishap investigation to determine the root cause of the failure and submit a final report for approval.

The agency stated that the purpose of the investigation is to enhance public safety, identify the cause of the event, and implement corrective measures to prevent a similar occurrence. A return to flight will depend on whether the FAA determines that SpaceX has resolved any safety concerns.

Following the incident, SpaceX confirmed that its team immediately coordinated with safety officials and began analyzing flight data. The company emphasized that information gathered from the test would be used to improve Starship's reliability for future launches.

They added that corrective measures would be implemented where necessary. This test flight occurred less than two months after the previous Starship launch also failed. No astronauts were aboard, and there were no reported injuries.

Elon Musk commented on the incident on social media, posting, "Rockets are hard." A few minutes later, he added, "Today was a minor setback. Progress is measured by time. The next ship will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks."

In another post, he provided further clarification, stating, "It was an upper stage / ship failure tbh. But we learned a good amount in building the new ship design and the flight."

Despite the setbacks, SpaceX continues to lead in global rocket launches and remains focused on the development of Starship for future missions.