Mar 7, 2025, 11:05 IST Share Large SpaceX's Starship rocket faced a major setback when its eighth test flight ended in an explosion, dispersing debris over Florida and the Bahamas. This incident follows a previous failure in January, highlighting the challenges SpaceX faces in developing reusable rockets for future Moon and Mars missions. The Starship rocket lifted off at about 6:30 pm local time from SpaceX's sprawling Boca Chica, Texas, rocket facilities. Dramatic footage circulating online captured red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas. SpaceX's ambitious Starship rocket program faced a significant setback as its eighth test flight ended in disaster. The Starship rocket which was designed to be the most powerful ever built, was initially intended to conduct a suborbital flight, by using dummy Starlink satellites and testing reentry operations. However, the mission took a catastrophic turn shortly after reaching space, causing an explosion and scattered debris across parts of Florida and the Bahamas. This incident has brought into the limelight, the challenges faced by SpaceX in developing its reusable rocket system, which aims to help humans reach the Moon and Mars. However, the vehicle disintegrated, sending debris streaking across the sky and falling over populated areas. This incident follows a previous failure in January, where the upper stage of Starship exploded over the Caribbean, raining debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands. Passenger captures the moment on flight: Amid the ongoing turmoil of the recent failure, a video has gone viral on X, that was captured by a passenger on a flight. The video, posted with the caption, "Just saw Starship 8 blow up from our flight," shows the burning debris from the blasted SpaceX Starliner spaceship streaking across the sky along the beautiful orange-yellow horizon of the setting sun. The video has amassed 479K views so far and continues to receive numerous comments. Watch the viral video: