SpaceX resets ‘Days Since Starship Exploded’ counter to zero

Updated SpaceX has again lost a Starship, after the seventh test flight of the spacecraft ended with a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”, but is nonetheless celebrating the mission as it ended with the second successful catch of its Super Heavy booster.

The private space company’s plan for this mission called for Super Heavy to send Starship from its Texas launchpad on a one hour and six minute journey that would end with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Along the way, Starship was to launch ten dummy satellites that mimic the size and weight of next-gen Starlink broadband birds.

The Starship used on this trip included many redesigned elements, including smaller forward flap, 25 percent increase in propellant volume, all-new avionics, and new heat shield tiles that include a backup layer. The upgrade also saw 30 cameras installed to help engineers understand the vehicle’s performance.

The mission was a mixed success because Starship’s rapid unscheduled disassembly occurred around eight and a half minutes into the flight.

Before then, all had gone well. A SpaceX post states that all 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster worked as planned, as did separation from Starship.

All six of Starship’s engines then kicked in and commenced its ascent burn.

Which didn’t end as planned.

“Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly with debris falling into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas,” states SpaceX’s post.

• Blue Origin reaches orbit with New Glenn, fumbles first-stage recovery
• SpaceX launches 2 lunar landers on path to the Moon
• SEC sues Elon Musk for allegedly screwing investors out of $150M before Twitter takeover
• Japan's wooden satellite exits International Space Station

The Super Heavy Booster also had a problem: One of its 13 engines didn’t light for it boostback burn, the maneuver that positions it for a return to Earth. But that engine did light when the Booster made its landing burn, which resulted in the second successful capture by the “chopsticks” on the SpaceX catch tower.

“The first Starship flight test of 2025 flew with ambitious goals: seeking to repeat our previous success of launching and catching the world’s most powerful launch vehicle while putting a redesigned and upgraded Starship through a rigorous set of flight demonstrations,” states SpaceX’s account of the mission.

“Data review is already underway as we seek out root cause,” the company added, before pledging to “implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests.”

SpaceX has launched seven Starships, three of which saw the vehicle land intact (the last failure was on Flight 3 in March 2024). Starship is, however, the biggest spacecraft ever launched, and Super Heavy is humanity’s biggest-ever booster. Both are designed to be fully re-usable too. Indeed this flight saw the booster employ a used engine for the first time.

So while the Starship ended this flight streaking across the sky in pieces, it’s hard to consider the mission a failure. ®

Update at 1920 UTC: Starship explosion diverts air travel

SpaceX's rapid unscheduled disassembly over the Caribbean disrupted air traffic, with passenger and cargo planes taking action to avoid any collision with the resulting debris field. While Musk called the detonation "entertainment," flight data recorders show aircraft steering clear of the area.

Flights out of Miami were halted for 30 minutes due to the “rocket launch anomaly,” and airlines reported over a dozen diversions of commercial flights.

A probe will now be carried out following the explosion; there are also reports of damage to property in the Caribbean caused by debris.

"The FAA is requiring SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle during launch operations on January 16," the US aviation watchdog said in a statement.

"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.

"During the event, the FAA activated a Debris Response Area and briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location. Several aircraft requested to divert due to low fuel levels while holding outside impacted areas."