SpaceX starship crashes in latest test flight

Key topics:.Starship lost control and broke apart after 8 minutes into flight.SpaceX aims to test upgrades for better propulsion, navigation, and satellite deployment.FAA issues ground stop and investigates mishap following debris over the Bahamas..Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Loren Grush___STEAD_PAYWALL___.SpaceX's mammoth Starship spun wildly out of control and broke apart during its eighth test flight, another setback for Elon Musk's company less than two months after its last mission ended with an explosion..A few minutes after blasting off on Thursday from south Texas, the rocket's two portions split apart as planned. The Super Heavy booster then returned to Earth, where it was caught midair by the launch tower's giant mechanical arms. .But then the Starship spacecraft began tumbling as it headed to space roughly eight minutes into flight, and mission control eventually lost contact with the vehicle..While Starship ignited all six of its Raptor engines as planned, some engines started to malfunction before the engines were supposed to cut off, one of the SpaceX livestream hosts said. At that point, Starship started careening out of control..Later, the company posted a statement on X saying Starship broke apart and that it was working with safety officials. .The Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control system command center issued an automated advisory alerting operators to falling debris. The agency also issued a "ground stop" order halting takeoffs for some Florida airports due to space debris, which it later lifted. .The FAA said in an emailed statement that it briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space debris was falling. The agency will require SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the incident, as it typically does when there is an explosion..Spectators posted video on X of debris raining down near the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic..The flight was the second-straight launch of Starship that has been cut short around the 8-minute mark. The company had a slate of upgrades it aimed to test, including Starship's ability to deploy satellites into space, something it intended to do during the last attempt before it was cut short..Starship is key to SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Musk's dream of sending humans and cargo to the moon and Mars. SpaceX has been periodically launching Starship on a series of test flights since 2023, with the goal of upgrading the rocket's capabilities each time..SpaceX planned to test a number of other upgrades during the flight, including more robust flaps that the rocket uses for steering through the atmosphere and better propulsion and navigation systems. .Engineers also aimed to restart one of Starship's Raptor engines while it's in space, a necessary technique the spacecraft will need in order to one day maneuver in orbit..Like previous missions, the intention was for the upper portion of the rocket to go on a partial lap around the Earth before splashing down in a controlled landing roughly an hour later in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia. .Read also:.Trump and Musk look on as SpaceX launches sixth major starship test🔒 FT: Musk's SpaceX catches returning booster rocket in technical milestoneSpaceX Falcon 9 rocket falters in rare in-flight failure.© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

SpaceX starship crashes in latest test flight

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