Astronauts Filmed SpaceX Starship’s Fiery Demise—From Space

Elon Musk’s Starship rocket didn’t just explode—it did it on camera. And not just any camera. A NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station managed to film the whole thing, giving us an ultra-premium view of Musk’s latest “technical difficulty.”

The 403-foot-tall Starship rocket launched from Texas but didn’t last long. It started spinning uncontrollably, then broke apart in a spectacular display of burning debris over the Caribbean.

The video, captured by astronaut Don Pettit, shows the massive spacecraft coming apart in real-time. It’s the kind of footage that makes you wonder: Is this progress, or is Musk just reinventing fireworks?

The fallout from the explosion didn’t just affect SpaceX’s reputation. Airports in Florida had to pause flights because, apparently, when Musk fails, he fails big enough to disrupt air travel. The FAA is now investigating, which means it could be a while before Starship gets another chance to self-destruct.

One thing is for sure: This is not the launch success Musk was hoping for. But hey, at least it made for a killer space video. And if we’ve learned anything from Musk’s ventures, it’s that failure is just another stepping stone to the next bigger explosion.