SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft disintegrates mid-flight, forcing airlines to avoid debris | Space news

Elon Musk admits the mission failed, posting on X that “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed.”

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft has disintegrated mid-flight, forcing airlines to divert flights to avoid falling debris.

While Elon Musk’s company successfully recreated its previous feat of capturing a first-stage booster during its return to Earth on Thursday, the new generation of its unmanned spacecraft was lost.

The FAA said it “briefly” slowed the planes and diverted them around the area where spacecraft debris was falling.

A company spokesperson said: “Normal operations have resumed.”

At least 20 flights changed their routes to avoid potential debris, according to data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24, as footage emerged on social media showing parts of the car re-entering the atmosphere over the Caribbean.

Musk said the spacecraft’s disintegration appeared to be caused by oxygen or fuel leaking into the cavity above the firewall of the ship’s engine.

“Apart from double checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to this volume and possibly increase the ventilation space,” Musk said in a post on his social media platform X. “Nothing yet indicates that the next launch will be postponed until next month.”

Musk previously admitted the failure of the mission, and posted footage of the falling debris.

“Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” He said.

SpaceX’s ground control lost contact with the prototype vehicle about eight and a half minutes after it took off from its launch site near Brownsville, Texas, in the United States.

The spacecraft, which was on its inaugural flight, carried 10 dummy satellites and was supposed to complete a partial orbit around the planet.

“The spacecraft experienced a rapid, unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn,” the company said in a post on X.

“Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve the reliability of the spacecraft.”

The mission was the seventh test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, which Musk envisions will one day transport people and cargo to Mars.

Earlier Thursday, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time, marking a major milestone in the race toward commercial space travel.

In a series of X posts after Blue Origin’s launch, Musk compared his relationship with his space industry rival to the dynamic between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s characters in the 2008 comedy Step Brothers.