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SpaceX’s Starship lost control in space during a test flight on Thursday, marking the second consecutive launch in which the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure en route to orbit.
In response, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted flights into several major Florida airports and redirected others out of caution over potential “space launch debris.” The agency confirmed to TechCrunch that it has required SpaceX to conduct a formal mishap investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
The launch itself began as planned, with Starship lifting off atop its Super Heavy booster from SpaceX’s Texas launch facility. The flight appeared nominal for the first eight minutes, with successful stage separation sending Starship toward space and the booster returning to the launchpad for a third successful catch by the tower.
However, roughly eight minutes and nine seconds after liftoff, SpaceX’s live broadcast indicated that multiple Raptor engines on Starship had failed. Onboard cameras showed the vehicle tumbling uncontrollably over the ocean.
“We just saw some engines go out, and it looks like we are losing attitude control of the ship,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said during the broadcast. “At this point, we have lost contact with the ship.”
Videos posted to social media later showed debris falling over the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, confirming the vehicle’s destruction. In a post on X, SpaceX said it “immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.”
This latest high-profile failure comes amid mounting scrutiny of both SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, who has recently stirred controversy across the U.S. federal government through his self-styled Department of Government Efficiency. As part of that initiative, Musk has reportedly embedded SpaceX personnel at the FAA — the very agency responsible for regulating its launches.
SpaceX had intended for this test flight to deploy four non-functional Starlink satellites, part of a broader goal to demonstrate Starship’s readiness for future commercial missions. The company has long emphasized an iterative, rapid-fire approach to development — conducting frequent test flights and applying lessons from each success and failure.
However, this particular failure comes just weeks after the seventh test flight ended in similarly dramatic fashion, with Starship breaking apart over Turks and Caicos. That incident also prompted flight diversions in nearby airspace and triggered another FAA-mandated mishap investigation.
Following the previous failure, SpaceX concluded that a propellant leak inside Starship caused onboard fires and ultimately severed communications before the vehicle self-destructed. Ahead of this latest launch, the company said it had introduced several fixes, including improving fuel lines, adjusting propellant temperature, adding new vents, and incorporating a purge system designed to prevent leaks.
Starship has faced challenges not only during ascent but also during re-entry on prior flights, with multiple vehicles disintegrating upon return to Earth’s atmosphere. For this eighth flight, SpaceX had hoped to further test its ability to bring Starship back to the launch site for a controlled catch.
“With Flight 8, we’re focused on finding the real-world limits of Starship so we can prepare to eventually return Starship to the launch site and catch it,” the company wrote on X Thursday.
