The Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded flights departing from Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach on Thursday evening after a SpaceX Starship experienced a breakup following its test launch. This incident marks the second consecutive test flight for SpaceX to encounter a mission-ending failure.
Key Facts
– The FAA issued ground stops for departures from Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Palm Beach International Airport, initially effective until 8 p.m. local time, but promptly lifted the order around 7:50 p.m., shortly after canceling a ground stop for Orlando International Airport.
– Despite the FAA’s rescinding of the ground stop, departures from Miami and Fort Lauderdale faced average delays of about 45 minutes.
– The test flight began with a successful liftoff and booster capture, but SpaceX lost contact with the Starship, which ultimately “experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
– Footage from onboard cameras showed the Starship spinning before going offline, with SpaceX indicating that the ship lost attitude control, which refers to its orientation.
– Individuals in regions such as the Bahamas, Florida, and the Dominican Republic reported seeing bright streaks in the sky during the ship’s breakup.
What We Don’t Know
The specific cause of the ship’s loss of control and subsequent disassembly remains unclear. SpaceX stated it would analyze data from the flight test to understand the root cause of the failure.
Key Background
Thursday’s launch of the Starship marked its eighth test flight and was the third time its booster successfully landed after descending back to Earth. This flight was initially scheduled for Monday but was postponed due to an issue with the ship’s core systems. It is the second test flight to end in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” following a January incident where a Starship broke apart during its ascent, which SpaceX attributed to a leak in the vehicle’s rear that likely increased pressure and caused a fire.
