SpaceX conducted the eighth test flight of its giant Starship rocket on 6 March. The first stage of the rocket, Super Heavy, launched from the Starbase facility in Texas, successfully returned and was caught by giant arms called ‘chopstick’.

However, the second stage of the test, the Starship module, did not turn out as expected. After separation, it lost control due to malfunctions in its engines and exploded, and pieces of debris fell to Earth.

Explosion occurred during SpaceX’s Starship test flight

The launch took place at 02:30 Turkish time and within seven minutes the Super Heavy booster successfully returned. However, in the second stage, Starship experienced technical problems before reaching its planned orbit and releasing the dummy Starlink satellites.

During the flight, some of the six Raptor engines failed and the vehicle spun out of control and began somersaulting. In the ninth minute, communication with the vehicle was completely lost. After the explosion, debris from the Starship was observed falling into the ocean in the Bahamian skies.

This incident is reminiscent of the ‘Flight 7’ mission in January, which was completed with a similar result. In that test flight, Super Heavy was successfully captured, but Starship again failed to reach its target due to engine failures. SpaceX officials stated that the technical problems experienced will be examined in detail.

In a statement made during the company’s live broadcast, spokesperson Dan Huot said: ‘There is a lot we need to examine and investigate on this flight. There is more information we need to learn about Starship and we will continue to work to solve these problems.’

In the accident in January, it was determined that stronger than expected vibrations and excessive stress in the engine system caused fuel leaks. In response, SpaceX made some improvements to the system by making changes to the fuel supply lines before Flight 8.

In addition, the operating temperatures of the propellant were adjusted and a new nitrogen gas purge system was added. However, these measures were not enough for Starship to perform a successful flight. SpaceX continues to work to make Starship a fully reusable spacecraft.

One of the company’s long-term goals is to catch Starship with ‘chopstick’ arms, just like Super Heavy. In addition, the team led by Elon Musk will continue test flights without slowing down to make Starship a vehicle that can carry people to Mars.