Elon Musk weighs in on SpaceX Starship’s ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’
The footage appears to capture debris in the sky after SpaceX’s Starship rocket suffered a “rapid unplanned disassembly” during a Jan. 16 flight test. [Credit: Greg Munch /TMX]
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk came to X Thursday night to explain what his company says caused the “rapid unplanned disassembly” of part of the Starship rocket.
The upper stage of a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a flight test the space company conducted late Thursday afternoon from its Starbase in Texas.
“Preliminary indications are that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship’s engine wall that was large enough to create pressure beyond the fan’s capacity.” he wrote.
SpaceX said in a post on its website that the “rapid unplanned dismantling” occurred after the upper stage had successfully separated; Starship’s Super Heavy booster and began its “ascension burn” into space. It lost telemetry with the upper stage “after approximately eight and a half minutes of flight,” according to the company.
“Preliminary data indicates that a fire broke out in the rear of the craft, which led to a rapid unplanned disassembly,” SpaceX said.
Footage has been released on social media of what appears to be debris from the Starship rocket in the sky.The video captured pieces leaving red and white trails in the sky over Turks and Caicos.
The footage appears to capture debris in the sky after SpaceX’s Starship rocket suffered a “rapid unplanned disassembly” during a Jan. 16 flight test. [Credit: Greg Munch /TMX]
“Besides the obvious double-checking of leaks, we’re going to increase that fire suppression volume and probably increase the vent area,” Musk also said at X, adding that “nothing yet suggests a next launch next month.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Philip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
SpaceX said the turret weapons successfully engaged the Starship’s Super Heavy booster during a flight test.
Thursday’s launch was SpaceX’s seventh spent for its Starship rocket over the past two years.In November, when SpaceX launched its sixth test, President-elect Trump came to watch.
A visitor walks near the launch site of a SpaceX Starship rocket on January 14, 2025 near Boca Chica, Texas. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
TRUMP WATCHES SPACEX STARSHIP LAUNCH IN TEXAS BY ELON MUSK
“As always, success comes from what we learn, and this flight test will help us improve the reliability of Starship as SpaceX strives to make life multiplanetary,” SpaceX said as we look for the root cause. We will conduct a thorough investigation in coordination with the FAA and implement corrective actions to make improvements in future Starship flight tests.”
Preliminary testing and preparations are already underway for SpaceX’s planned eighth Starship flight, the company said.
JEFF BEZO’S BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCHES NEW ROCKET IN FIRST TEST FLIGHT
SpaceX’s seventh Starship flight test took place on the same day as its rival Blue originThe first launch of the New Glenn rocket, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is under its belt.
Blue Origin’s launch took place in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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