Starship’s seventh test flight fails after mid-flight fire causes spectacular explosion

SpaceX’s Starship test flight on January 16, 2025, from Starbase, Texas, saw a successful launch and booster catch but ended with the loss of the upper stage about 8 minutes into the flight, resulting in a spectacular fireball over the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX launched the latest iteration of its Starship at 16:30 LT (22:30 UTC) on January 16 from Boca Chica Beach, Texas, aiming for a near-orbital flight path. The spacecraft was equipped with 6 upgraded Raptor engines that began its ascent but experienced an anomaly that led to its destruction approximately 8 minutes and 30 seconds into the flight.

Data indicated that the spacecraft reached an altitude of 146 km (90 miles) and a velocity of 21 320 km/h (13 245 mph) before contact was lost.

The booster, which propelled Starship into the upper atmosphere, returned to the launch site and was successfully caught by the mechanical arms of the launch tower, an operation that had only been completed once before. The descending booster hovered over the pad to rapidly reuse its rocket stages. The crowd at the site celebrated the feat but excitement turned to disappointment shortly afterward as confirmation came that Starship had been lost.

“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,” said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot.

“It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle.”

Preliminary assessments from SpaceX indicate that leaking fuel may have increased pressure within a cavity above the engine firewall.

The test mission carried 10 satellite mockups designed to simulate a real payload deployment. The test satellites are identical in size to SpaceX’s Starlink satellites and were intended to be destroyed upon re-entry. Unlike previous flights, this version of Starship featured several upgrades aimed at improving performance and safety.

NASA is closely monitoring SpaceX’s progress with Starship as the agency has contracted the vehicle for its Artemis program. Two Starships are slated to land astronauts on the Moon later this decade. SpaceX aims to use Starship for interplanetary travel with Mars as a long-term goal beyond lunar missions.

References:

¹ Starship’s seventh flight test – SpaceX – January 16, 2025

² SpaceX loses spacecraft after catching rocket booster at the launch pad in latest Starship test – AP news – January 17, 2025

Featured image: Debris from SpaceX’s Starship falling over the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: SpaceX

Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.