SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Explosion, Marking Eighth Failure

The world's largest rocket disintegrated minutes after launch, with debris falling over Florida and the Caribbean.

SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest ever built, suffered an unplanned disassembly during its eighth test flight, losing contact shortly after launch.
Debris from the rocket was reported over Florida and the Caribbean, prompting temporary flight restrictions at several Florida airports by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The lower booster stage was successfully recovered at the Texas launch site using mechanical arms, marking the third consecutive success in booster recovery.
This test follows a series of earlier failures, including an explosion during a January test and a similar incident in 2023, as SpaceX continues to refine the rocket's design.
Starship is central to SpaceX's ambitions for lunar and Martian exploration, with NASA planning to use it for future crewed moon missions.