SpaceX’s Starship super heavy-lift launch vehicle took off from the company’s Starbase in Texas for a test flight. Space.com reports the liftoff and separation were completed as planned, and the booster returned safely to the landing site.
However, contact with the Starship upper stage was lost approximately eight minutes after launch.
The uncrewed spacecraft exploded about thirty seconds later. Numerous videos have been posted on social media from Turks and Caicos of the colorful stream of debris lighting up the sky in dramatic fashion.
This was the seventh test flight for Starship. On its first test flight in April of 2023, prior to booster separation, Starship also experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Another Starship rapid unscheduled disassembly tore a hole in the atmosphere in November of 2023.
