SpaceX’s Starship rocket failed mid-flight minutes after launch, causing widespread flight diversions and threatening Elon Musk’s ambitious launch schedule
SpaceX’s Starship rocket suffered a catastrophic failure just eight minutes after launching from South Texas on January 16, 2025, causing disruptions to air traffic over the Gulf of Mexico. The rocket, carrying its first test payload of mock satellites, lost contact with mission control as it broke apart in space, forcing dozens of commercial flights to alter course to avoid falling debris.
The malfunction occurred at 5:38 pm EST, shortly after the Starship launched from SpaceX’s South Texas facilities. Video footage from Reuters showed orange streaks of light across the sky, with plumes of smoke trailing behind. SpaceX’s Communications Manager Dan Huot confirmed that the upper stage of the rocket failed, resulting in the loss of the spacecraft.
This latest failure follows a previous mishap in March 2024, when a Starship upper stage failed during reentry over the Indian Ocean. However, this incident marked a rare instance where a SpaceX mishap caused widespread disruptions to air traffic. According to FlightRadar24, commercial flights from Miami and Fort Lauderdale were delayed by around 45 minutes, and several flights were diverted to alternate airports to avoid the debris field.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates private launch activities, temporarily slowed air traffic in the area and diverted flights around the falling debris zone. While the FAA has not yet launched an official investigation, it is expected to examine the incident to determine whether any debris fell in populated areas or outside the designated hazard zone.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the debris field and offered a lighthearted take on the failure, stating: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” Despite the setback, Musk has expressed confidence that Starship’s next launch will proceed as scheduled, with no immediate changes to SpaceX’s ambitious goal of conducting at least 12 test flights this year.
The rocket’s failure is a blow to SpaceX’s efforts to develop a vehicle capable of carrying humans and cargo to Mars, along with deploying large batches of satellites into orbit. The latest version of the Starship rocket featured significant upgrades, including an upper stage that was two meters taller than previous iterations. The mission was intended to end with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, but the rocket’s breakup has now prompted an investigation and potential delays to Musk’s launch timetable.
