'Giant fireball': Space fans, experts react to Starship's massive explosion during test flight

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after the biggest rocket in the world exploded on a test flight this week. 

Pieces of Elon Musk’s falling Starship rocket were caught on camera all over the world. Many were mesmerized. 

Meanwhile, officials are trying to figure out where the rocket ended up.  

Sky streaked with lights

What they're saying:

Cruisers on Carnival’s Mardi Gras couldn’t help but look up when they saw the sky streaking with lights. Shock and surprise quickly set in for others, who also couldn’t believe what they were seeing. 

"There was just this giant fireball, and we were like was that supposed to happen?" said Lara Ortiz, who owns and runs a charter boat service in the Bahamas called Ocean Adventure Cat. "Was that a stage separation? We’ve never seen that before."

She was on her boat on the Great Exuma island and had a front row seat to the massive explosion on Thursday night around 5:30 p.m.

At first, she was nervous.

Pieces of Elon Musk’s falling Starship rocket were caught on camera all over the world. (Credit: Clint Gerald)

"Was it manned; and then we realized it was the test flight, and then we felt relief and were like, ‘That was awesome, it was actually really awesome,’" she said.

What we know:

This was SpaceX’s seventh time testing its Starship rocket. 

The rocket launched from Boca Chica, Texas. 

The lower stage of the rocket didn’t have any problems, and SpaceX successfully caught the first stage booster with its chopsticks.

The upper stage wasn’t so successful. 

"One of the engines kind of fired off, and it brought it back toward the earth," said David Denault, former NPR space correspondent.

RELATED: Blue Origin, SpaceX both experience success, failure during Thursday launches

Denault said it’s important to remember this was a test flight. 

"Obviously, it didn’t go as well they planned, so they’re going to go back to the drawing board," he said. 

Elon Musk shares update

The other side:

On Thursday night, Musk shared an update on X about what he thinks happened during the flight. 

"Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity," he wrote. "Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area."

The FAA is now involved. 

In a statement to FOX 35, officials said: "The FAA is requiring SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation… there are no reports of public injury, and the FAA is working with SpaceX and appropriate authorities to confirm reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos."

"We were like, ‘That didn’t look right,’" said Ortiz, who’s witnessed many Starlink launches in the Bahamas. 

She’s right. What happened wasn’t right, but space fans were still mesmerized.

"It just turned into a bunch of sparkly debris, it looked almost like a firework," she said. 

What's next:

Musk wants to test the Starship rocket again, as soon as next month, but will need approval from the FAA first. 

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

The Source: This story was written based on previous reporting and information shared by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Brevard CountySpaceAir and SpaceSpaceX