Spacecraft’s secondary stage missing after seventh test flight, fragments observed spreading in the sky

A piece of rocket debris from SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy booster was seen in the sky following an unexpected breakup, while another part of the booster successfully returned to its landing site. 

The launch took place at SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas. The booster separated approximately two minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff and began its descent back to Starbase, according to Space News. 

“Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn,” SpaceX said in a statement. “Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”