The eighth test launch of the SpaceX Starship was unsuccessful due to an explosion that occurred shortly after liftoff on March 6. Approximately 10 minutes after launch and shortly after separating from the booster, the spacecraft began to spin chaotically, sparks launched from it, and communication was lost at an altitude of approximately 150 km.
In the meantime, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the Starbase launch site in Texas.
This incident marks the second instance of a rocket stage malfunctioning during a test launch this year. The upper stage of Starship also disintegrated shortly after launch on January 17.
SpaceX issued a statement in which it disclosed that the aft section of Starship experienced an “energetic event,” which resulted in the vehicle’s loss of control. CNN reported that the detonation occurred over the Caribbean and was visible from certain regions of Florida.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily suspended flights at airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando, as well as departures from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport, as a result of falling debris. The FAA has directed SpaceX to conduct a joint investigation into the incident, and the results will determine whether or not additional Starship test launches will occur.
Similar to the seventh voyage, the second stage featured a new model, the Starship V2, never launched before this year. The fuel containers were increased by 25%, allowing them to hold 1,500 tons of fuel instead of 1,200 tons, as was the case with Starship V1. Furthermore, the Starship vehicle’s total length (including both segments) is 123.1 meters, which is 1.8 meters longer than the previous version.
Nevertheless, the eighth mission adhered to a comparable trajectory to the seventh: the first stage operated as anticipated, while the subsequent stage malfunctioned. The failure of any of the dozens of engines that comprise Starship’s first stage does not significantly impact its performance. Nevertheless, the second stage replicated the seventh flight’s scenario by exploding 20 seconds prior to the engine cutoff.
The blast that occurred on January 16, 2025, during the seventh test launch was most likely caused by oscillations that were considerably more intense in flight than in ground tests, as per SpaceX. Eventually, the spacecraft’s loft area’s venting capacity was exceeded, which caused long-lasting fires because of the extra mechanical stress on the propulsion system’s parts and the fuel spill that followed.
The March 6 failure was most likely caused by the “harmonic response” (resonance), which was several times stronger in flight than in ground experiments. This resulted in an increase in the tension on the components of the propulsion system. The subsequent fuel leakage once again exceeded the aft section’s venting capacity, resulting in sustained fires.
The “harmonic response” refers to the vibrations that destroyed the spacecraft during the seventh test flight.
What is a starship?
The Starship is a 50-meter-long black stainless steel “bullet” that weighs 1,300 tons (including propellant). Located atop the largest rocket in history, Super Heavy, the structure stands 120 meters tall and weighs 4,900 tons.
The Super Heavy booster is theoretically capable of launching up to 150 tons of payload into low Earth orbit, and it is propelled by 33 Raptor engines (20 main engines and 13 steering engines).
The Saturn V rocket, which transported astronauts to the Moon in the 1970s, is significantly heavier and larger than this entire Starship system. Nevertheless, the payload capacity disparity is negligible—150 tons versus 140 tons.
In contrast, the Soviet Energia rocket, which was capable of launching 100–200 tons into orbit, was equipped with only four RD-170 kerosene-liquid oxygen rockets in the first stage and four RD-012 liquid-hydrogen engines in the second stage.
Therefore, how did it transpire that the Americans, half a century later, surpassed the Soviet N-1 lunar rocket’s record of 30 primary engines for the number of rocket engines?
The most direct response is that the power of chemical rocket engines has not increased considerably since that time. However, Elon Musk’s aspirations for Mars and the Moon necessitated a new record for the number of engines installed on a deep space rocket. Musk has never concealed the fact that American engines are inferior to those of the Soviet Union.
Musk said in an interview with Everyday Astronaut that he spent a lot of time studying Russian rocket engine designs. There are some amazing Russian engines, he adds.
He said the SpaceX engine features a full-flow staged combustion cycle and a higher chamber pressure. However, these are relatively minor enhancements to the measures that the Russians had already taken.
Musk believes that Russian engineers have been developing liquid rocket engines for decades and have created literally hundreds of separate models.
Boris Katorgin, an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the creator of the RD-180 engine has stated that Musk’s rockets are inferior to those of Russia.
Dmitry Konanykhin, a Russian aerospace veteran, also observed:
“When the real engineers of SpaceX, hidden in the shadow of showman Elon Musk, scaled up Falcon-Full Thrust technology to the giant N-1 lunar rocket and the Martian Starship, they discovered that in this part of the universe, the laws of physics still exist—or, as they say, ‘Physics, you heartless b***.'”
Konanykhin says that the vibrations in Starship’s engine cluster, conduits, and suspension system are so bad that the current materials and design solutions can’t make the structure rigid enough.
The future of deep-space exploration with Musk’s rockets is highly uncertain, as the fundamental defect of relying on over 30 low-power engines is evident, even if SpaceX engineers can “fix” Starship.
What is the status of Orion?
Initially, the United States intended to employ the Orion spacecraft for missions to the Moon and Mars.
Orion is a partially reusable, multi-purpose spacecraft that has been in development by Lockheed Martin and Airbus Defence and Space since the mid-2000s as part of the Constellation program. It was intended to serve as a substitute for the Space Shuttle for trips to low Earth orbit and, in the future, to transport astronauts to Mars.
After launching on a Delta IV rocket from Boeing, the first test flight of Orion occurred in December 2014, and it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, Boeing’s launch vehicles were ultimately phased out as a result of SpaceX’s rockets being more cost-effective.
Boeing’s SLS (Space Launch System) was used for the second Orion test flight; however, Artemis missions encountered delays and malfunctions.
Orion successfully flew to the Moon, spent 25 days in orbit, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean during Artemis-1 on November 16, 2022.
Nevertheless, significant complications arose. Re-entry caused the heat shield of Orion to burn through during its second test voyage.
NASA officially acknowledged the thermal shield issues with Orion on December 5, 2024, which are essential for the safe return of astronauts from the Moon.
The appointment of billionaire Jared Isaacman as the next NASA Administrator by the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump further exacerbated uncertainty. Isaacman has participated in SpaceX missions and has reserved two additional voyages.
Bill Nelson, the current head of NASA, was profoundly concerned that Trump might cancel Artemis in favor of Starship.
“Are they going to scrap Artemis and replace it with Starship?” – Nelson lamented.
The future of the U.S. Moon and Mars programs is uncertain, although Isaacman was not confirmed as NASA Administrator on January 20, 2025.
To worsen the situation, Trump plans to cut NASA’s budget by 50%.