SpaceX Starship rocket lost during 8th test flight, debris shoots through sky

SpaceX's Starship rocket broke up during its eighth uncrewed flight test on Thursday, sending debris shooting through the sky and temporarily affecting flights at Miami-area airports. It was SpaceX's second such setback since January.

SpaceX on Thursday lost communication with the rocket just over nine minutes after the launch. Elon Musk's company said the rocket "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly," the same language it used when Starship's last test flight in January unexpectedly exploded in the sky

The 400-foot spacecraft, composed of both the Starship vehicle and Super Heavy rocket, launched just after 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to USA TODAY Thursday that it activated a debris response area and "briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location."

Greg Chin, a spokesman with the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, said that "some flights" were delayed at Miami International Airport between 7 and 7:30 p.m. ET "due to falling debris from the SpaceX launch over the Atlantic Ocean."

The FAA said that normal operations resumed Thursday night night. As of 8:30 p.m. ET, the National Airspace System Status page listed a departure delay at Miami International due to "space launch debris," though the FAA said in a follow-up email that the airspace was open.

Despite Thursday's setback, SpaceX was able to complete its third return and catch of the rocket booster at the launch pad, but it did not complete a Starlink payload deployment test. The Starship vehicle was intended to land in the Indian Ocean.

"Obviously a lot to go through, a lot to dig through, and we're going to go right at it," SpaceX's Dan Huot said during the livestream of Thursday's launch. "We have some more to learn about this vehicle."

Social media video shows apparent explosion

Video of the apparent explosion began appearing on social media Thursday night as what is likely Starship debris streaked across the sky in the Bahamas.

Previous launch ended in fiery explosion

The previous Starship demonstration on Jan. 16 ended in a fiery explosion after the Starship vehicle was lost during its suborbital flight.

Mission controllers lost contact with the spacecraft within 8 1/2 minutes of its flight before determining that it was destroyed in what the company called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” Video on social media showed the explosion and its aftermath as remains of the spacecraft are seen breaking up in what looks like a stunning meteor shower.

SpaceX, which conducted an investigation with the FAA, determined that the mishap was due to a series of propellant leaks and fires in the aft section of the vehicle that caused “all but one of Starship’s engines to execute controlled shut down sequences." This led to the communication breakdown and the vehicle to trigger its own self destruction.

This story has been updated with new information