SpaceX Starship Breaks Apart During Ninth Test Flight

SpaceX’s Starship rocket disintegrated midair during its ninth test flight on Tuesday, marking another dramatic setback in the Elon Musk-led company’s ongoing efforts to develop a reusable spacecraft for deep space missions.

The 400-foot-tall rocket lifted off at 7:37 p.m. Eastern Time (2337 GMT) from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, following clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Shortly after launch, the company reported that the vehicle suffered what it termed a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” — SpaceX’s euphemism for an in-flight explosion.

“As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,” SpaceX said in a statement posted on X.

The company stressed that such outcomes are expected in early testing phases. “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary,” it added.

This latest attempt followed several design upgrades after two upper-stage failures in January and March. Starship is intended to be the most powerful rocket ever built and is central to SpaceX’s long-term goal of enabling human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Despite the loss, SpaceX says data from the flight will inform future tests aimed at improving performance and safety.