SpaceX 7th Test Flight Goes Boom And the Stock Takes a Hit?

- SpaceX Starship’s 7th Test Flight Explodes Mid-Air - Elon Musk Shares Explosion Footage and Acknowledges Failure [Unblock Media] Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, founded the space exploration company SpaceX, and its large launch vehicle "Starship" failed in its seventh test flight due to an explosion. This incident highlights the technical and managerial risks associated with space exploration and emphasizes the importance of cooperation between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and private space companies. SpaceX conducted the seventh test flight of Starship, which is being developed for lunar and Mars exploration, at 5:37 p.m. local time (U.S. Eastern Time) on the 16th. However, the second-stage spacecraft exploded in midair a few minutes after separating from the rocket booster, failing to carry out most of the originally planned technical tests. A SpaceX engineer ended the live broadcast about 20 minutes after the start of the test flight, saying, "We lost the spacecraft." Afterwards, multiple videos of the falling debris from the spacecraft over the Caribbean Sea were uploaded on social media. One netizen said, "I thought it was a shooting star," while another expressed concern, "I hope no one gets hit by the debris." Upon hearing the news of the explosion, Musk shared the video of the falling spacecraft debris on his social media and remarked, "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed! ✨" SpaceX stated in a press release, "Communication with the Starship spacecraft was lost about 8 minutes and 30 seconds after the flight began, and a fire broke out in the aft section of the spacecraft, leading to the explosion." In the process, it was explained that "debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean within a danger zone that had been pre-arranged," but the FAA announced that it activated a "debris response area" after Starship exploded. CNN reported, "Such measures are only taken when debris falls outside the designated area." Musk stated in another post, "There are preliminary indications of an oxygen/fuel leak from a hole above the vehicle’s engine firewall," but also emphasized, "So far, there is nothing to suggest that the next Starship launch will be delayed beyond next month." This explosion not only represents a technical failure for SpaceX, but also had a direct impact on commercial air traffic. Due to the falling spacecraft debris, some aircraft had to suddenly change routes or experienced delays. According to the FAA, flights departing from Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were delayed by an average of one hour, and about 45 flights were disrupted. It is reported that around 4,500 passengers experienced direct inconvenience because of this. According to FAA regulations, a restricted flight zone above a certain altitude is set to minimize the impact of space launches on nearby airports, but the unexpected explosion caused confusion despite these measures. In accordance with its official response procedures, the FAA carried out "debris search and recovery," "strengthened air and ground traffic control," and "community safety notifications." SpaceX has completed orbital flights and recovered most of its launch vehicles in its six test flights so far, but it did not achieve the same level of success in the seventh flight. Experts point out that there is a need to re-examine the precision of the separation mechanism and note that NASA has already revealed similar failures in its past cases. According to the self-published report from SpaceX on the cause of the Starship seventh test flight explosion, "After the second-stage rocket separated, six Raptor engines mounted on the upper stage were re-ignited to attempt orbital insertion, but communication was lost about 8 minutes and 30 seconds later, and due to a fire in the aft section, the spacecraft underwent a 'Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD).'" This suggests a possibility that an oxygen/fuel leak and an engine firewall defect are linked. Regarding this, industry experts said, "In order to solve this kind of problem, a fuel leak detection system and a reinforced firewall are needed." Additional reinforcement is required so that the mechanism connecting the booster and the second-stage rocket can withstand repeated high-temperature environments, and internal structural stability needs to be re-verified. The fact that the FAA activated a "debris response area" through this incident reaffirms the close cooperation system between SpaceX and government regulatory agencies. According to the FAA manual, after a space launch failure, procedures such as "debris search and recovery," "strengthening air and ground traffic control," and "community safety notifications" are automatically initiated. It is also notable that the FAA and SpaceX have strengthened real-time data exchange systems based on similar failures in the past. This Starship explosion once again demonstrates the importance of processes in which private space companies and government regulatory agencies collaborate to manage risks and ensure public safety. Meanwhile, Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, the chairman of Amazon, who has been in a competitive relationship with Musk for over 20 years, conducted the first test flight of its "New Glenn" rocket on the same day and succeeded in placing the second-stage rocket into the target orbit. Although it did not achieve the plan to land and recycle the first-stage rocket on a drone ship in the Atlantic, the second stage was safely placed into orbit, earning an assessment of "mostly successful." Bezos, who has maintained a competitive relationship with Musk over the dream of space development, posted a video on his social media showing Blue Origin employees jumping and cheering, expressing his joy. The industry views competition between SpaceX and Blue Origin as a driving force that will rapidly expand not only space tourism and exploration, but also the overall space industry market. In conclusion, the seventh test flight failure of SpaceX Starship clearly demonstrates the complex system issues and risks inherent in space exploration, while also reminding us of how essential cooperation and risk management processes between the FAA and private space companies truly are. The successful orbital insertion by Blue Origin implies that the private space industry is moving beyond a mere "dream" or "vision," gradually entering a stage where it creates tangible results and practical value. Lastly, SpaceX’s 7th test flight ended in a mid-air explosion, and shares of Tesla, a related company, closed lower. Although no direct correlation between the explosion and Tesla's stock decline has been confirmed, Tesla fell by 3.36%, reflecting a negative trend in the market. Industry experts suggest that the decline may partially reflect changes in investor sentiment related to SpaceX. However, they also note that Tesla’s stock movement could be influenced by other factors, such as intensified competition in the electric vehicle market or concerns about rising interest rates.