SpaceX Starship booster explodes after aborted tower catch

SpaceX’s Starship booster exploded over the Gulf of Mexico after its tower catch was aborted on Friday, though the spacecraft still reached orbit.

SpaceX’s upgraded Starship Super Heavy booster exploded over the Gulf of Mexico on Friday after an aborted attempt to catch it at the launch tower, AP reports.

Booster 22 was due to return to SpaceX’s Starbase pad in Texas about six minutes after liftoff, but an automatic abort diverted it offshore, where it exploded moments before splashdown, according to Starlust.

It was not immediately clear why the catch failed, RTÉ reported. SpaceX had successfully made three previous booster catches, most recently in March 2025.

Despite the setback, the upper stage reached orbit on the rocket’s 15th test flight and released 26 Starlink satellites, ETV Bharat reported.

The spacecraft is due to return later on Saturday for the first attempt to catch it in midair from orbit, part of SpaceX’s push towards a fully reusable rocket for moon and Mars missions.