The second test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket launched from Boca Chica Beach early Saturday morning 

Saturday’s flight was twice as long as Starship’s initial flight in April 2023. That test ended with the rocket exploding around four minutes after it was launched.

Starship was able to detach from its boosters during Saturday’s launch. According to the Associated Press, SpaceX officials said the ship's self-destruct system blew it up over the Gulf of Mexico.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LAUNCH

In a statement released following the flight, the Federal Aviation Administration called the explosion a “mishap.”

“A mishap occurred during the SpaceX Starship OFT-2 launch from Boca Chica, Texas, on Saturday, Nov. 18. The anomaly resulted in a loss of the vehicle,” the FAA stated in their release. “No injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA will oversee the SpaceX-led mishap investigation to ensure SpaceX complies with its FAA-approved mishap investigation plan and other regulatory requirements.”

The mishap investigation will identify any corrective actions that will be taken to “avoid it from happening again,” the FAA added.

While the launch was celebrated by spectators at Isla Blanca Park, several Rio Grande Valley organizations released a joint statement condemning the launch.

Representatives from several organizations — such as the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, Voces Unidas RGV, Sierra Club and Divest/Invest RGV — said SpaceX operations could disrupt life in the area.

“Local residents witnessed, for the second time this year, the rocket launch shaking their homes and an explosion that caused debris to fall on the low-income community, the wildlife refuge, and on lands that are sacred to the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas,”  the release stated. “For years, Rio Grande Valley residents have been outspoken about SpaceX’s routine operations cutting off access to Boca Chica beach from local families from fishing, preventing the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe from accessing sacred lands for ceremonies, destroying more than 60 acres of wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species and threatening public safety with rocket shrapnel blown into the community.”

On his social media platform X — formerly known as Twitter — SpaceX CEO celebrated the launch, referring to Starship as a “magnificent machine.”