Starship Flight 8: SpaceX Catches Booster, But Ship Explodes Midflight Again (VIDEO, PHOTO)

SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8 ended in an explosion during its latest test, causing air traffic disruptions and marking its second failure in a row this year. Despite the setback, SpaceX successfully caught the Booster, demonstrating progress in its reusability efforts.

A Successful Booster Catch

Starship Flight 8 launched on 6th March at 5:30 pm CST from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The Booster fired all its engines, and the hot staging process went smoothly. Only 11 out of 13 engines started for the boost-back burn, but the Booster still completed the manoeuvre and returned to the launch site for a catch. This was the third successful booster catch using SpaceX’s chopstick arms.

Meanwhile, SpaceX tested a new Booster landing approach, bringing it down more vertically instead of from the side to land in the chopsticks. This adjustment prevents the booster’s engine exhaust from hitting the Orbital Launch Mount or the Launch Tower. This marks another step in optimizing flight profiles.

Ship Lost Again

However, in a turn of fate, less than 10 minutes into the flight, Starship, which was heading toward space, started experiencing problems. During the livestream, several engines visibly shut down. This caused the vehicle to tumble before SpaceX lost contact.

Some viewers captured the moment of the explosion on video.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit also caught the moment from space.

The loss of signal happened at nearly the same point in the flight as it did during Flight 7 in January, when Starship exploded over the Turks and Caicos Islands, scattering debris over populated areas.

It remains unclear exactly where the vehicle exploded during Thursday’s mission. But according to the CNN reports, the explosion was visible in parts of Florida and across the Caribbean.

FFA Requires Investigation After Starship Flight 8

After the failure and debris from the explosion, the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) is requiring SpaceX to investigate before flying again. Currently, SpaceX has two open investigations, one for Flight 7 and one for Flight 8. Since the ship was lost again due to a fire in the engine section, the team now has a lot of work to find and fix the problem.

Additionally, the FAA temporarily suspended flights to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando airports on Thursday evening due to “falling space debris,” with the ban lasting until 8 p.m. ET.