SpaceX says its Starship spacecraft broke up midflight as videos of debris emerge online

SpaceX said its Starship space vehicle broke up during a flight meant to test the megarocket's capabilities. Videos on social media appeared to show debris streaming across the sky.

SpaceX said Thursday that its Starship space vehicle broke up during a flight meant to test the megarocket's capabilities.

The rocket system's upper stage appears to have disintegrated somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico or possibly the Caribbean Sea. Shortly after SpaceX said it lost touch with the spacecraft, videos emerged on social media showing debris streaming across the sky.

Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, shared a video of the debris on X, writing: "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!"

Musk later added: "Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity."

Musk added that the company would makes some changes including more fire supression but that the company is not making any changes to plans for upcoming launches.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-lost-starship-rocket-debris-videos-rcna188078

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