A fire in the aft section of SpaceX's Starship trigged the apparent explosion that destroyed the spacecraft, the company says.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands have launched probes into SpaceX's explosive Starship rocket test that sent debris streaking over the northern Caribbean and forced airlines to divert dozens of flights.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made light of Starship's fiery end. "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" he said on X.

The United States on Friday grounded SpaceX's Starship and ordered Elon Musk's company to investigate why the spaceship spectacularly disintegrated in a fiery cascade over the Caribbean during its latest test mission.

SpaceX suspects a fire may have caused its Starship to break apart during liftoff and send trails of flaming debris near the Caribbean. SpaceX's Elon Musk said preliminary indications are that leaking fuel built up pressure in the cavity above the engine firewall. The resulting fire would have doomed the spacecraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation after losing its Starship vehicle and allegedly showering Turks and

The FAA says it has grounded the Starship vehicle pending a mishap investigation, and it’s working with SpaceX to assess reports of property damage in Turks and Caicos.

Recent science news covers SpaceX's Starship explosion, a new scent for sniffer dogs aiding cold cases, a Pompeii excavation, and US FAA's investigation into rocket debris in Turks and Caicos. Highlights include a test payload mishap,

Friday 17th January 2024: As previously advised, the incident is an active investigation led by the US FAA in liaison with UK and TCI counterparts. UK partners will also be liaising with the TCI Environmental Health Department,

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered SpaceX to carry out a formal investigation into the breakup of its Starship rocket during a test flight Thursday that sent a spectacular shower of flaming debris plummeting back to Earth,

SpaceX dominates this week’s launch manifest with three Falcon 9 missions and the seventh flight of its Starship rocket. The three Falcon 9 missions will see the launches of a batch of Starlink satellites, a Transporter rideshare mission, and two Moon landers.