SpaceX’s Starship Explodes in Flight Test, Debris Shower Seen Over Turks and Caicos; Video Surfaces

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on January 16 for its latest test flight, but the spacecraft was destroyed after a dramatic booster catch back at the pad. Several videos showing the exact moment of the explosion have surfaced online.

The exact moment Starship Exploded. Filmed from a cruise ship. https://t.co/dhRxfxIABtpic.twitter.com/5cd6G2r7ED

— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) January 16, 2025

One video filmed from a cruise ship captured the Starship rocket's explosion, while another clip showed debris from the spacecraft over Turks and Caicos.

BREAKING: Debris seen over the Caribbean after SpaceX's Starship falls apart during test flight pic.twitter.com/wVgGW2k98Z

— BNO News (@BNONews) January 16, 2025

Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain the cause of the explosion. "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 wrote. He added that SpaceX would double-check for leaks, add fire suppression to the affected area, and increase the vent area to prevent future issues.

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.

Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 17, 2025