BOCA CHICA, Texas – May 27, 2025 – SpaceX has concluded its investigation into the dramatic explosion of its Starship upper stage, referred to as “Ship,” during its eighth test flight on March 6, 2025, pinpointing a hardware failure in one of the rocket’s Raptor engines as the cause. The incident, which saw fiery debris rain over the Atlantic, marked the second consecutive test flight failure for the ambitious Starship program, but SpaceX is already preparing for its next launch, scheduled for May 27, 2025.
According to SpaceX’s findings, the explosion was triggered by a “flash” near one of the Ship’s central, sea-level Raptor engines, leading to an “energetic event” that caused the premature shutdown of multiple engines. “The most probable root cause for the loss of Starship was identified as a hardware failure in one of the upper stage’s center Raptor engines that resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition,” SpaceX stated in a recent update. This failure caused the vehicle to lose attitude control, begin tumbling, and ultimately activate its autonomous flight termination system, resulting in the spacecraft’s destruction approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.
The incident occurred during a critical phase of the flight, just before the planned deployment of four mock Starlink satellites, a key test objective. The Starship was intended to reach a suborbital trajectory and splash down in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia, but the failure cut the mission short, with debris scattering over the Bahamas, Florida, Jamaica, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The explosion disrupted commercial air traffic, grounding flights in Miami, Orlando, and other Florida airports for up to 45 minutes due to safety concerns over falling debris.
SpaceX’s investigation revealed that the issue stemmed from uneven liquid methane flow in the affected Raptor engine, which led to a burn-through in the regenerative cooling manifold. This caused a propellant leak and subsequent fire in the engine bay, a distinct failure from the previous Flight 7 mishap in January 2025, where harmonic vibrations led to a propellant leak and fire in the spacecraft’s “attic” area. Despite upgrades implemented after Flight 7, including modified fuel lines, additional vents, and a nitrogen purge system, Flight 8 exposed new vulnerabilities in the Starship V2 design.
To address the issue, SpaceX has introduced several corrective measures for the upcoming Flight 9. These include reinforced insulation in the engine bay, tightened connections, improved fuel systems, and an enhanced nitrogen purge system to prevent dangerous gas buildup. The company conducted over 100 engine tests post-incident to ensure the problem is resolved. “These upgrades will be included in the next Starship flight,” SpaceX confirmed, expressing confidence in the improvements.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees SpaceX’s mishap investigations, has reviewed and approved the company’s findings, clearing the way for Flight 9. This test flight will mark a milestone as SpaceX plans to reuse the Super Heavy booster from a previous mission, a critical step toward achieving full reusability—a cornerstone of the Starship program’s goal to reduce spaceflight costs.
While the Super Heavy booster performed admirably during Flight 8, successfully returning to the launch tower and being caught by the “Mechazilla” arms, it wasn’t without minor issues. Two of the booster’s 13 engines failed to reignite during the boostback burn due to “torch ignition issues” caused by overheating. SpaceX mitigated this by adding insulation to the affected areas, a fix that will also be applied to Flight 9.
The Starship program, central to Elon Musk’s vision of colonizing Mars and enabling lunar missions for NASA’s Artemis program, has faced setbacks but remains a priority for SpaceX. Each test flight, even those ending in explosions, provides critical data to refine the 403-foot-tall rocket, the most powerful ever built. “Success comes from what we learn,” SpaceX posted on X, emphasizing its rapid iterative development philosophy.
The upcoming Flight 9, set to launch today from SpaceX’s Starbase in South Texas, aims to build on these lessons. Objectives include further testing of the payload deployment system and in-space engine restarts, bringing SpaceX closer to its goal of a fully reusable rocket capable of carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. As the company continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, the world watches eagerly to see if Starship can overcome its explosive past and soar into a new era of spaceflight.
For more information on SpaceX’s Starship program, visit x.ai or follow updates on X.
