The seventh rocket launch Starship, the flagship of the SpaceX fleet, ended in an explosion a few minutes after takeoff, which occurred at 23:37 p.m. Italian time: it happened above the skies of Boca Chica, Texas.
A major blow to Elon Musk's program. The mission was supposed to mark a crucial step in NASA's Artemis project, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. The explosion caused no injuries or material damage, but it had a significant impact on air traffic.
La Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided to divert and delay dozens of commercial flights to prevent risks related to falling debris. Before the launch, the founder of Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, a direct competitor of SpaceX, had sent a congratulatory message to Elon Musk and his team: “Good luck today @elonmusk and to the entire SpaceX team”. A wish that, ironically, failed to avoid the dramatic outcome of the test.
SpaceX's engineering team is now working to analyze the data collected during the flight and identify the cause of the explosion. The company is preparing to define the next steps to overcome this obstacle and continue its race towards space exploration. The incident once again underscores the risks and complexities of space missions, but Musk, known for his resilient approach, did not comment, suggesting that SpaceX will not stop there.
Article published on 17 January 2025 - 13:35
It's really unfortunate that the Starship rocket exploded. I think this could have consequences for the Artemis mission. I hope that SpaceX engineers can fix the problems quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to go to the Moon.