SpaceX’s Disappointing Setback Towards Mission for Mars

March 6 - SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded minutes after launching from Texas. The aftermath resulted in falling debris traveling near the south coast of Florida, limiting airspace in the surrounding area. This included heavy caution towards flights in and out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Orlando airports.

The Starship craft is part of SpaceX’s mission to send humans to Mars and populate the planet in the next 20 years. The mission is an ambitious goal, and this was supposed to be the eighth test flight of Starship. However, it is the second test to result in an explosion this year.

The uncrewed Starship mission launched at 5:30 pm CT from SpaceX’s Starbase in South Texas, propelled by a 232-foot Super Heavy booster. About two and a half minutes into flight, the booster detached from the upper stage as planned and successfully landed in the “chopstick” arms of SpaceX’s Mechazilla launch tower near Brownsville, Texas. This marked the third time SpaceX has achieved a booster catch using this system.