The Starship rocket stage exploded possibly due to a propellant leak

The Starship system launched on the afternoon of January 16 from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, starting the 7th test flight of this 123 m high super rocket, according to Space. Initially, everything went well. The vehicle’s two stages, consisting of the Super Heavy booster and the Ship spacecraft above, separated on time and the Super Heavy returned to Starbase as planned and landed right in the middle of the launch tower’s “chopstick” arm.

However, the Ship encountered problems not long after the booster landed. The 52-meter spacecraft exploded above the Atlantic about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, creating a shower of debris visible from the Turks and Caicos islands and other nearby locations. Although still investigating the incident, SpaceX has determined the cause for sure, according to Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO.

“Preliminary inspection shows a fuel leak in the upper compartment of the ship’s engine wall, large enough to build up pressure beyond the valve’s tolerance. In addition to double checking for leaks, we will supplement adding a fire suppression system and possibly increasing the valve cross section,” Musk shared about 2.5 hours after the flight. Starship’s Raptor engine runs on liquid oxygen and methane. SpaceX is planning to launch Starship regularly in 2025. The company is applying for a license to launch super rockets from Starbaser up to 25 times a year.

According to SpaceX, the pressure overload led to a fire in the back of the spacecraft and a rapid explosion, based on initial data analysis. The company will conduct thorough inspections, coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and make remediation to improve future flight tests of Starship.

The Starship is just inside the designated launch corridor, so any debris falls within the clearance area. However, the incident still affected not only SpaceX. The FAA was forced to slow down and redirect the plane in the area of ​​falling debris.