SpaceX's Starship spacecraft exploded again during a test flight, marking the second consecutive failed attempt to launch it into orbit. At the same time, the super-heavy rocket successfully returned to the pad, where it was "caught" by the Mechazilla tower for the third time.
The initial phases of the flight went according to plan, including the separation of the upper stage from the booster. However, just over eight minutes after liftoff, several of the Raptor's engines suddenly failed. Onboard cameras captured images of the vehicle spinning uncontrollably over the ocean.
Footage posted on social media shows fragments of the spacecraft disintegrating over the Bahamas and Dominican Republic a few minutes after the loss of control.
SpaceX said on the X Network that it immediately began coordinating with safety authorities to implement pre-planned contingency measures.
Due to the threat of falling debris, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily restricted flights from four Florida airports: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Palm Beach.
Departures from these airports were delayed by an average of 45 minutes. The FAA also initiated a protocol for responding to possible falling debris, after which flights resumed as normal.
The FAA will require SpaceX to investigate the accident and provide a detailed report on the circumstances surrounding the loss of Starship.
Starship's previous test flight also ended in failure, when the ship exploded over the Caribbean, also about 8.5 minutes after launch. The FAA also temporarily changed flight routes in that region.
The investigation found that the fire and explosion were caused by a fuel leak inside the Starship. Before the current launch, SpaceX made engineering changes to the fuel supply system, updated the ventilation system and added a new cleaning system, but the cause of the explosion is the same as last time - a fuel leak.
