Dramatic videos have surfaced of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 ending in a fiery explosion over the Atlantic Ocean.
One clip, captured from the Turks and Caicos Islands, shows the rocket disintegrating in a blaze of light high above the horizon. Elon Musk shared another video of the explosion on X (formerly Twitter).
The explosion occurred during a critical test of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, which launched from SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas. While the booster performed flawlessly, the upper stage failed approximately 10 minutes into the flight.
Starship Flight 7 Explosion: What Actually Happened?
The test began with a successful liftoff at 4:37 p.m. CT on January 16. All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster powered the rocket to a nominal ascent.
Following stage separation, the booster executed a boost-back burn and a complex maneuver to land in the launch tower’s catch arms—its second successful catch in Starship history.
However, the upper stage encountered issues shortly after ignition. Preliminary data suggested an oxygen/fuel leak caused a fire in the aft section, ultimately leading to the rocket’s “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
Contact was lost about eight and a half minutes into the flight, cutting short its ambitious demonstration.
What Was SpaceX Trying to Achieve?
This was the first Starship flight test of 2025, designed to test upgrades and push the boundaries of the rocket’s capabilities. SpaceX aimed to repeat its success in launching and catching the Super Heavy booster while subjecting the redesigned upper stage to “rigorous flight demonstrations.”
The mission was part of SpaceX’s broader plan to develop a fully reusable space transportation system capable of carrying astronauts to the moon, Mars and beyond. Despite the explosion, SpaceX views these tests as invaluable for identifying flaws and improving reliability.
“Data review is already underway as we seek out root cause,” SpaceX said. “We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests.”
What Has Elon Musk Said?
Musk was characteristically candid about the incident, sharing a video of the explosion and quipping on X: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” He also provided preliminary analysis, attributing the failure to an oxygen/fuel leak that led to excessive pressure and a fire.
“Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area,” Musk said. “Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month.”
What Happened to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Launch?
SpaceX’s test occurred on the same day as Blue Origin’s historic first launch of its New Glenn rocket. While New Glenn successfully reached orbit, its reusable first stage did not manage to successfully land on the ship Jacklyn, named after company founder Jeff Bezos’ mother.
The booster managed a controlled reentry burn but failed to complete the secondary goal of landing. Blue Origin had tempered expectations, emphasizing that a successful landing was unlikely for this maiden flight.
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