Musk's SpaceX Faces New Setback with Starship Rocket

AFP | Washington
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Elon Musk's SpaceX experienced another setback on Thursday when the upper stage of its massive Starship rocket exploded in a fiery blast, despite the booster successfully completing its orbital test—mirroring the failure of the previous attempt.

Minutes after liftoff and booster separation, live video footage showed the upper stage tumbling uncontrollably before the signal was lost. Dramatic images circulating online captured red-hot debris falling over the Bahamas.

"Can confirm we did lose contact with the ship. Unfortunately, this happened last time, too," SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said, referring to the January flight, which also ended in the upper stage disintegrating over the Caribbean.

The incident caused immediate disruptions in US airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly activated a "debris response area," leading to delays in flights from airports spanning Newark, Philadelphia, and Miami.

The FAA confirmed that SpaceX will be required to conduct a mishap investigation before it can proceed with future launches.

Despite the setback, SpaceX’s "fail fast, learn fast" philosophy has played a key role in establishing the company as the world’s leading provider of launch services.