Elon Musk Reacts to Starship Explosion: ‘Rockets Are Hard’

Elon Musk has reacted after his SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after it was launched from Texas on Thursday.

“Rockets are hard,” the SpaceX founder wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Why It Matters

The incident marks the second consecutive failure this year for Musk’s Mars rocket program.

The Starship rocket also failed minutes after launching from SpaceX’s Texas facility in January, with falling debris causing damage to properties on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

Newsweek has contacted SpaceX for comment.

What to Know

Starship, the world’s biggest rocket, exploded minutes after it took off on Thursday.

According to SpaceX, Starship’s huge first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, successfully deployed 33 Raptor engines upon takeoff and propelled the rocket through its first-stage ascent.

Starship then lit its six engines and separated from the Super Heavy booster to continue its ascent to space.

While Super Heavy was able return itself to the launch site, an “energetic event” saw Starship lose several of its engines, according to SpaceX. This resulted in a loss of attitude control and communication.

Final contact with Starship came approximately nine minutes and 30 seconds after takeoff.

SpaceX said the rocket experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” before contact was lost.

Debris from the rocket was seen falling from the skies in Florida and the Caribbean.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activated a Debris Response Area and slowed down aircraft in affected areas as the debris was falling.

Flights from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Miami International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport were delayed for around 30 to 45 minutes on Thursday as a result of the debris.

Where did SpaceX’s Starship Launch From?

Starship took off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on Thursday.

What Is SpaceX’s Starship?

SpaceX’s Starship is a powerful spacecraft and rocket system which consists of two stages. The Super Heavy Booster provides the thrust needed to escape Earth’s gravity, while Starship is the second-stage spacecraft designed to hopefully one day take humans and cargo to the Moon and Mars.

Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle. It is capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable weight and 250 metric tonnes expendable. Its height is 123 meters (403 feet).

What People Are Saying

SpaceX said in a statement. “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. We will review the data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause.

“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability. We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests.”

Dan Huot, a SpaceX spokesman, said during a livestream of the launch: “Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we’ve got some practice now.”

Photographer John Kraus posted on X: “That was a beautiful launch and landing. Progress is not always linear and I know the SpaceX team will continue to iterate and improve Starship as humanity marches toward Mars.”

What Happens Next

The FAA requires SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship rocket during Thursday’s launch.

The FAA must sign-off on the findings before Starship can fly again.