Musk’s horror day: Degraded by Trump, then Starship explodes

Nearly two months after a catastrophic explosion showered debris over the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended in another dramatic failure. The massive rocket blasted off from Texas on Thursday but lost contact minutes later, tumbling out of control before breaking apart over Florida.

Fiery Debris Rains Down Over Florida

This marks the second consecutive failure for SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket launched successfully, with its first-stage booster landing back at the pad using SpaceX’s giant mechanical arms. However, trouble began as the upper-stage spacecraft attempted its planned controlled descent over the Indian Ocean.

Instead, engines began shutting down, causing the spacecraft to spin out of control. Starship reached nearly 90 miles (150 kilometers) in altitude before contact was lost. Flaming debris was seen streaking across the sky near Cape Canaveral, sparking questions about whether the rocket’s self-destruct system had activated.

A Pattern of Explosive Failures

SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot attempted to downplay the incident, saying, “Unfortunately, this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now.”

Later, SpaceX confirmed that Starship suffered a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” during the ascent engine burn. The company stated that its team immediately began coordinating with safety officials to handle the situation.

Hours before Musk was humilated by President Donald Trump, who moved to rein in Elon Musk’s drastic federal job cuts, telling his Cabinet secretaries to handle layoffs with precision, not brute force.

After weeks of legal battles and Musk’s CPAC stunt with a chainsaw, Trump clarified that Musk can advise but won’t make final firing decisions. “I don’t want a big cut where a lot of good people are lost,” Trump said, urging agency heads to take a “scalpel” approach rather than a “hatchet” when trimming the workforce.

It seemed like the beginning of the end of the unlimited influence of Trump’s “buddy-in-chief”.

NASA’s Moon Plans at Risk?

This latest failure of Starship raises concerns for NASA, which has booked Starship to land astronauts on the Moon later this decade. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has even loftier ambitions, aiming to use Starship for future Mars missions.

Starship was carrying four mock satellites to simulate future deployments, resembling the company’s Starlink satellites. The redesigned spacecraft featured improved flaps, computers, and fuel systems, but still failed to reach its intended destination.

Previous Starship Explosion Investigation Continues

The previous test flight also ended in disaster when a fuel leak triggered a series of fires that shut down the spacecraft’s engines. The self-destruct system activated as designed, preventing further damage. Following that failure, SpaceX implemented upgrades, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently granted approval for another test.

Despite setbacks, SpaceX remains committed to the Starship program. The company is constructing another launch site at Cape Canaveral to support future missions alongside its smaller Falcon rockets, which currently ferry astronauts and satellites to orbit.

The ongoing failures highlight the immense challenges SpaceX faces in making Starship a reliable deep-space vehicle. Whether NASA sticks to its lunar mission timeline or adjusts due to these repeated explosions remains to be seen.