Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship has broken up into pieces just minutes after launching on Thursday (Friday AEDT).
The rocket, which was launched from the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, experienced engine anomalies during its ascent.
"Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly," SpaceX wrote on X.
An issue in the upper section of the ship is said to have been the cause of the accident with all communication lost with the spacecraft just 8min 30sec into the flight.
The spacecraft was carrying a test load of mock satellites and there was no crew on board,
It was the company's seventh test mission and the first test of 2025.
Falling debris caused widespread issues to air traffic with airlines forced to alter their flight paths over the Gulf of Mexico - where the spacecraft was expected to travel.
SpaceX CEO and biggest shareholder Musk posted on his social media platform X showing the debris saying “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
The total cost value of the damage is unknown, but will be no feat for the company led by the world's richest person (Musk Net worth - US$426.8 billion)
The mission was meant to see the Starship deploy satellite simulators into the same suborbital trajectory as the starship itself, with a touch down into the Indian Ocean.
“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about the ship,” said SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot.
While the total mission was far from a great success, Space X was able to successfully return and secure the Starship’s booster which can be reused for future testing.
Musk has announced plans to quintuple testing on SpaceX rockets in 2025 which will require federal approval in the U.S.
This will become a possibility thanks to the strong relationship between Musk and President-elect Donald Trump who is set to take office next week.
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