The latest test of SpaceX's Starship, its gargantuan next-generation megarocket, ended January 16 with the upper stage dramatically disintegrating over the Atlantic. 'At this point in time, we can confirm we did lose the ship,' SpaceX's Kate Tice said during a webcast. [AFP/Greg Blee]

By BlueShift and AFP | 2025-01-21

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's Starship and ordered the company to investigate why the spaceship spectacularly disintegrated in a fiery cascade over the Caribbean during its latest uncrewed test mission.

Starship blasted off from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on January 16 at 4.37pm local time for its seventh test.

SpaceX announced it had made numerous upgrades for this flight and had increased Starship's height to 123 meters.

About seven minutes after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster decelerated from supersonic speeds -- generating sonic booms -- before descending gracefully into the launch tower's waiting arms, prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams.

The maneuver was first successfully executed in October but not November, when Super Heavy made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead.

Soon after the latest booster catch, however, announcers on a live webcast confirmed the upper stage vehicle had been lost following a propulsion anomaly.

SpaceX later confirmed "a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly," the company's euphemism for an explosion.

Mishap investigation

"The FAA is requiring SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle during launch operations on Jan. 16," the agency said January 17.

"There are no reports of public injury, and the FAA is working with SpaceX and appropriate authorities to confirm reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos."

The FAA added that during the event, it briefly activated a "Debris Response Area" protocol to slow aircraft outside the area where the debris was falling or stop aircraft at their departure location.

"Several aircraft requested to divert due to low fuel levels while holding outside impacted areas."

Under established procedures, SpaceX will now be required to carry out a "mishap investigation" -- including the identification of any corrective actions, which the FAA said it will review before determining if the launch vehicle may return to flight.

Alternatively, the company may seek an early return to flight if it can demonstrate sufficient safety measures and confirm the mishap posed no public risk.

"As always, success comes from what we learn, and this flight test will help us improve Starship's reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary," the company said in a statement, adding that it is already reviewing data from the launch.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests," the statement said.

Outgoing NASA chief Bill Nelson meanwhile offered his congratulations to SpaceX for the booster catch, adding: "Spaceflight is not easy."

Preparing for 8th launch

SpaceX dominates the commercial launch market through its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, securing contracts from private companies, the Pentagon and NASA.

Still, the company has made clear it sees Starship as its future.

The gleaming prototype rocket is key to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's ambitions of colonizing Mars.

NASA hopes to use a modified version of the rocket as a human lunar lander for its Artemis missions to return to the Moon.

"Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" Musk quipped on X, sharing one of the many viral clips of the event.

He added the cause of the explosion appeared to be an "oxygen/fuel leak" that caused an excess buildup of pressure.

"Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month," he ventured.

Starship's first three test flights ended in dramatic explosions, resulting in the loss of vehicles. However, SpaceX has rapidly iterated on its design, reflecting its "fail fast, learn fast" philosophy.

Musk is now aiming to drastically ramp up the frequency of tests, requesting permission from the FAA to carry out 25 in 2025, compared to just four in 2024.

SpaceX said it was already preparing for its next launch.

"The ship and booster for Starship's eighth flight test are built and going through prelaunch testing and preparing to fly as we continue a rapid iterative development process to build a fully and rapidly reusable space transportation system," the company said in a statement.