Elon Musk’s Starship Test Flight Ends in Disaster

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk‘s SpaceX faced a setback during a Starship test flight on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, as the vehicle tumbled out of control shortly after launch.

The incident occurred about 30 minutes into the flight from SpaceX’s Texas facility. The Starship initially reached space intact but encountered problems when it attempted to release its payload into orbit. Reports indicated that the spacecraft’s door would not fully open, causing it to spin uncontrollably.

Dan Huot, a SpaceX communications manager, confirmed the situation in a statement. “We are in a little bit of a spin. We did spring a leak in some of the fuel tank systems inside of Starship, which a lot of those are used for your attitude control,” Huot said.

Footage broadcast by SpaceX showed dramatic images of the spinning Starship as it vented propellant. Following the incident, the company indicated that the ship had undergone a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” a phrase used previously during other failed test flights that ended in explosions.

The wreckage from the flight is expected to scatter over the Indian Ocean. This test marks another disappointment in Musk’s series of challenges; his electric vehicle company, Tesla, has also seen sales declines in key markets.

In Europe, for example, Tesla registrations are reported to have halved year-on-year last month amidst growing competition and political fallout related to Musk’s ties with former President Donald Trump. Just before the test flight, Musk took to X, previously known as Twitter, to promote the mission, claiming it was a significant learning experience.

<p“Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight!” Musk tweeted. He added, “Today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary.”

Despite challenges, Musk has decided to step back from political engagements to focus more on Tesla, following his controversial involvement with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. This decision comes as his approval ratings have dipped, with some insiders seeing him as a liability.

In comments made prior to the flight, Musk acknowledged that his focus on politics may have impacted SpaceX. “I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics,” he said. However, he insisted the time allocation was less than what some speculate. “I’ve reduced that significantly in recent weeks,” he added.

Looking ahead, SpaceX aims to refine its technology and processes as it prepares for future launch attempts.