Footage showed orange balls of light streaking across the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, leaving trails of smoke behind.
Elon Musk posted on X, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” alongside a video of the fiery trail across the sky.
Musk also announced that “improved versions” of the Starship and its booster were “already waiting for launch.”
Following the incident, Musk explained that a potential oxygen/fuel leak above the ship engine firewall caused excess pressure but assured that the next launch wouldn’t be delayed beyond next month.
A SpaceX livestream reported the launch footage had amassed 7.2 million views.
The Starship system lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, at 17:38 EST (22:38 GMT) during its seventh test mission.
The Starship upper stage successfully separated from its Super Heavy booster nearly four minutes into flight as planned.
However, SpaceX’s Communications Manager, Dan Huot, later reported that mission teams lost contact with the Starship.
The Super Heavy booster returned to its launchpad seven minutes after liftoff, earning applause from ground control teams.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it was aware of “an anomaly” during the SpaceX mission.
