SpaceX Starship Explosion Forces Flight Diversions
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed on Friday that the SpaceX Starship explosion the previous day disrupted 240 flights. Among these, more than two dozen planes had to divert due to concerns about space debris.
The incident marked the second consecutive test flight failure for Starship. The FAA issued ground stops lasting over an hour for flights departing from four major Florida airports: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Palm Beach. The disruption resulted in 171 delayed departures, 28 diversions, and 40 airborne flights held for an average of 22 minutes while the FAA’s Debris Response Area was active. On average, delayed flights experienced a 28-minute wait.
FAA Orders Investigation Into SpaceX Mishap
Following the explosion, the FAA announced it would require SpaceX to conduct a full mishap investigation. This comes just weeks after the agency approved a launch license for Thursday’s flight, even as an investigation into Starship’s previous failure remained open.
Despite the repeated failures, the FAA allowed Starship’s eighth test flight to proceed after reviewing SpaceX’s license application and preliminary details of its previous mishap investigation. However, with two consecutive explosions, the program now faces increased scrutiny.
Musk Remains Optimistic Amid Setbacks
Videos shared on social media captured fiery debris streaking across the sky near South Florida and the Bahamas. A SpaceX live stream showed Starship breaking apart in space after it began spinning uncontrollably, with its engines shutting off.
This failure comes just over a month after the seventh Starship test also ended in an explosion. Unlike previous missions, these recent failures occurred in early phases of the flight, an unusual setback for a program that had previously surpassed such stages with ease.
Despite this, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk downplayed the explosion, calling it “a minor setback.” In response to a post on his social media platform X, Musk said the next Starship vehicle would be ready in “4 to 6 weeks.”
The 403-foot (123-meter) Starship rocket is key to Musk’s long-term goal of sending humans to Mars by the early 2030s. However, with back-to-back failures, SpaceX now faces renewed challenges in achieving that ambitious vision.
With inputs from Reuters
