--- title: "Here’s a Video of Every Starship Explosion So Far" description: "A look back at all of the spectacular tests — and failures — that have punctuated SpaceX's development of its Starship rocket." date: "2025-03-24" modified: "2025-03-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/video-every-starship-explosion-so-far" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "rockets" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "super heavy" --- # Here’s a Video of Every Starship Explosion So Far ![A look back at all of the spectacular tests — and failures — that have punctuated SpaceX's development of its Starship rocket.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* Despite a challenging road, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is far from giving up on the company's gigantic, fully reusable Starship spacecraft. SpaceX has some extremely ambitious plans for the vehicle, from [returning the first astronauts]() to the lunar surface to establishing the [first permanent presence on Mars](). And as SpaceX [inches closer]() to successfully launching and landing a full-scale prototype, it's worth having a look back at all of the spectacular tests — and failures — that brought us here. We've got years of total carnage to look back on. So without further ado, here's an homage to all the test vehicles that have given their lives in pursuit of the interplanetary launch platform of Musk's dreams. ## 2019: StarPopper The first dramatic failure took place in late 2019, when a pressurization test, dubbed "StarPopper," ended in the [massive tank imploding](), crumpling like a tin can. The prototype was meant to fly to an altitude of 12.4 miles, but ended up popping her bulkhead instead, releasing a massive cloud of depressurizing gas. https://youtu.be/hNKJX0J5A3U ## May 2020: First Fireball SpaceX's fourth prototype, dubbed SN4, erupted in a gigantic fireball during its fifth static firing test in mid-2020. [Videos]() of the violent event show the massive structure violently exploding, releasing a giant smoke cloud of combustible gases. The massive explosion can be heard echoing across the space company's testing facilities near Boca Chica, Texas. https://youtu.be/7RPyDPpmDAk ## October 2020: Belly Flop Bomb The company's eighth prototype, dubbed SN8, was meant to be SpaceX's [first, full-scale and fully-fledged test launch]() of the rocket's upper stage. The prototype used all three of its rocket engines to lift off, reaching an apogee of 7.7 miles. It even flipped itself upright using a "belly flop" maneuver, which is meant to use the Earth's atmosphere as a way to slow itself down, not unlike a space plane. Its landing, however, proved to be fatal. SN8 [blew up in yet another massive fireball]() after making a harder-than-expected touchdown. SN8's low "fuel header thank pressure" caused "touchdown velocity to be high," resulting in a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," as Musk explained in a [tweet]() at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qwLHlVjRyw ## February 2021: Topspin The next prototype, dubbed SN9, reached a height of 6.2 miles and successfully spun itself upright. The launch, however, turned out to be another setback, ending in [yet another massive fireball](). https://youtu.be/klT3YcrG7K4 ## March 2021: Delayed Reaction The company's next iteration didn't fare much better. After an eerie minutes-long delay, SN10 [exploded spectacularly]() on the pad after landing. The explosion was so violent, the entire spacecraft was lurched back into the air. "RIP SN10, honorable discharge," [Musk tweeted]() at the time. https://youtu.be/InCXzysFQYw ## March 2021: Fogged Up Just weeks later, SpaceX's SN11 prototype reached an altitude of over six miles, becoming the third to do so. The spacecraft launched [inside a thick cloud of fog](), obscuring the view. However, despite pulling off another belly-flop maneuver, it didn't stick the landing, causing the fog to glow a bright orange. It was a violent explosion, sending giant pieces of metal and debris [raining from the sky](). https://youtu.be/cN7855POvJ8 ## April 2023: First Full Stack After a lengthy delay of well over a year, SpaceX finally returned to the launch pad to kick off the first test of its Starship, including its Super Heavy booster, a stack that stands over 400 feet tall. The upper stage reached an apogee of more than 24 miles, but "the vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble," [according to the company](). The spacecraft and its booster self-destructed using its flight termination system, [causing a gigantic mid-air explosion](). The violent test flight [tore a massive hole]() in the launch pad and sent pieces of debris [raining down on protected wildlife](). https://youtu.be/NCYSVmSPM7E ## November 2023: Self Destruct Following a [lengthy investigation]() by the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX finally followed up its first fully integrated test flight on November 18, 2023. The spacecraft blasted well past the edge of space, reaching an altitude of 90 miles. But minutes into the flight, an automated flight termination command was triggered, [causing it to explode](). SpaceX claimed the test was a successful demonstration of stage separation. https://youtu.be/s-ZwElJpTTs ## October 2024: Ocean Explosion Just under four months later, the next Starship-Super Heavy booster stack roared into space, reaching an apogee of 145 miles. The upper stage [glided through space](), resulting in gorgeous, live-streamed footage. But the vehicle made a hard landing in the ocean. A follow-up test, the fourth full test flight, resulted in the prototype heating up as it dropped through the atmosphere in June. Footage shows the two spacecraft's aerodynamic fins being [shredded to pieces]() as the plasma started heating up. The fifth orbital test in October resulted in the upper stage blowing up in a massive explosion after crashing into the ocean. However, SpaceX [celebrated the first successful catch]() of a Super Heavy booster using its "Mechazilla" tower, which features two "chopsticks" arms — a feat in itself. https://youtu.be/Iwaq71P88T8 ## January 2025: Sky Streaks SpaceX's sixth flight in November saw the upper stage [splash down in the Indian Ocean]() without incurring any significant damage. The booster, however, had to be diverted to also splash down in the ocean instead of being caught by the Mechazilla tower. In mid-January, Starship's seventh test flight resulted in the upper stage [dramatically exploding over the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos](). Footage [shows massive streaks]() of heated-up rocket pieces. The event was dangerous enough for the FAA to [divert all flights]() in the area to avoid a mid-air collision. https://twitter.com/JennyHPhoto/status/1880028231493160977? ## March 2025: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back The company's eighth test flight followed a strikingly similar trajectory. Thanks to premature shutdowns of its engines, the spacecraft set off yet another [fireworks display]() over the Caribbean. "It was an upper stage / ship failure tbh," [Musk admitted]() at the time. "But we learned a good amount in building the new ship design and the flight." It's a major snag, indicating that the latest version of the spacecraft, dubbed Block 2, is [somehow performing worse than its predecessor](). Where the last two botched flights leave the fate of the world's largest rocket ever built remains to be seen. NASA is still hoping to tap Starship to deliver its astronauts to the lunar surface in a [matter of two years](). It's a highly ambitious timeline that's looking increasingly unlikely, given the most recent setbacks. But Musk has taken the latest failure in strides. "Today was a minor setback," he [tweeted]() earlier this month. "Progress is measured by time. The next ship will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks." https://twitter.com/RealDanODowd/status/1897809201227087884 **More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Has a Major Problem: New Versions of Starship Are Performing Worse Than Older Ones]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()