Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Explodes Again—But Successfully Orbits Earth for 46 Minutes

May 28, 2025 — Spaceflight Milestone Ends in Fiery Finale

A Controlled Launch, a Fiery Finish

• The Super Heavy booster executed a successful boostback burn and splashdown.
• The Starship upper stage reached near-orbital velocity and coasted around the planet before attempting a high-speed re-entry over the Indian Ocean.

Although the vehicle ultimately broke apart during re-entry due to intense aerodynamic forces and heating, engineers hailed the test as a major technical achievement.

“This was the most progress we’ve seen from a full-stack Starship flight,” said SpaceX in a post-launch statement. “Each test is a step closer to making life multiplanetary.”

Why This Flight Mattered

• Longest duration in space for a Starship to date (46 minutes)
• Successful stage separation
• Functional orbital coasting phase, allowing SpaceX to collect crucial flight data
• Improved heat shield testing during re-entry

Compared to the previous flight test in March—where the vehicle broke apart before reaching full orbit—this test marked significant development, especially in terms of re-entry capability and flight duration.

Elon Musk Reacts

Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO, praised the test on X (formerly Twitter), calling it “a huge win for the team” and hinting at the company’s relentless pace toward iterative development. Musk has long emphasized that rapid prototyping and “failing forward” are essential to SpaceX’s engineering approach.

“We got much closer to a full orbital flight this time,” Musk wrote. “Very proud of the SpaceX team. Starship will be ready for another flight soon.”

What Comes Next?

• Controlled re-entry and soft splashdown of the Starship upper stage
• Advanced thermal protection system evaluations
• Longer orbital coasting periods

The company’s ultimate goal is full reusability, a capability that could dramatically lower the cost of spaceflight and support frequent missions to low Earth orbit, lunar bases, and eventually Mars settlements.

NASA Partnership: A Lunar Future

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also acknowledged the test, emphasizing its importance to the Artemis program. “Every test teaches us something, and every success brings us closer to returning humans to the Moon,” Nelson said.

Starship will serve as the Human Landing System (HLS) for Artemis III. It must demonstrate precise landings and safe astronaut transport, making these test flights vital for mission certification.

Conclusion

While the fiery end of Starship’s fourth test may grab headlines, the 46-minute orbital success is the real story. SpaceX continues to iterate quickly, turning each explosion into data and each setback into a step forward. For Elon Musk’s Mars ambitions and NASA’s lunar goals, Flight 4 represents a significant leap toward the stars.

Sources:

• Forbes: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Explodes Again But Orbits For 46 Minutes
• SpaceX Starship Updates – Official
• NASA Artemis Program Overview