Summary
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded in space minutes after launching from Texas, marking the second consecutive failure this year.
The rocket spun uncontrollably before breaking apart, with debris seen over Florida and the Bahamas. The cause remains unclear, though multiple engines shut down before contact was lost.
The failure raises concerns about setbacks in Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program. The FAA temporarily halted flights at major Florida airports due to falling debris.
A similar Starship failure in January scattered wreckage over the Caribbean.
Surely shutting down failed engines is part of the fire suppression plan, no?
“Why didn’t I think of that?!”
-SpaceX
I’m sure they did. I doubt they had enough time to make the correct changes since the launch cadence is too high.