Debris from a disintegrating SpaceX rocket over Boca Raton, FL, March 6, 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
Debris from a prototype of the rocket that will power SpaceX’s Starship transport streaked over the sky in Boca Raton Thursday night, prompting stunned reactions from onlookers as a piece of the spacecraft – which exploded upon launch – erupted into a ball of fire and fell into the ocean just yards off Boca Raton Inlet.
The incident occurred at 6:39 p.m. Dozens of surfers, anglers and visitors out for a walk at the inlet near sunset were startled by a bright, white light that pierced through a low level of haze to the west, then floated slowly over the beach as it descended. White smoke billowed off the object as it continued eastward, descending in altitude as it overshot the beach and moved over the ocean. The white flame and smoke then turned orange, similar to a firework, and the object exploded into several smaller pieces a few hundred yards southeast of the inlet.
At least one pleasure boat in the inlet immediately turned around to investigate, but turned back as the sky quickly turned dark.
“Is it the Russians?” one person on the beach yelled, prompting a few laughs, but others were more concerned over the identity of the object.
Debris from a disintegrating SpaceX rocket over Boca Raton, FL, March 6, 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
Debris from a disintegrating SpaceX rocket over Boca Raton, FL, March 6, 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
Debris from a disintegrating SpaceX rocket over Boca Raton, FL, March 6, 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
Boca Daily News immediate reached out to the FAA and city police, however national news outlets began reporting on the SpaceX incident a short time later. Since then, statements from several local airports reported flight disruptions linked to the failed launch, including Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport. It was unclear if any problems were reported locally at Boca Raton Airport.
Debris from a disintegrating SpaceX rocket over Boca Raton, FL, March 6, 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
According to a report from the New York Times, a failure occurred in the upper stage of the prototype rocket – the largest of its kind every launched – causing it to spin out of control as multiple engines shut down at once. The spacecraft then broke up, with debris propelled in various directions away from the “Starbase” spaceport near Brownsville, TX.
Six of eight flights involving the prototype have been successful, however the seventh resulted in failure last month due to vibrations caused by high pressure indicative of a fuel leak. Thursday night, the eighth did as well, with the cause under investigation.
