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WATCH SpaceX Starship explode on splashdown ‘as expected’

RT News · · 325 words · By Russia Today
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/640457-spacex-starship-test-flight/

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
schedule Pending 1
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“SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded in a fireball after splashing down in the Indian Ocean on Friday”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the Starship exploded upon splashdown in the Indian Ocean on May 22, 2026, including a SpaceX tweet and news reports.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The ship completed an in-space engine relight test and re-entered, splashing down in the Indian Ocean during daylight—a first for Starship.As of February 2026[update] Flight 13 is expected to follow a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Starship_launches
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX brought Starship down in a planned splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean, where it exploded on impact.Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on the twelfth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter…
https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/spacex-starship-expl…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — © 2026 Google LLC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES2rxaee_Zs
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“The massive rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas at around 6:30pm ET”
CORROBORATED
Sources confirm the launch from Starbase, Texas on May 22, 2026. One source specifies the time as just after 5:30 pm local time (which aligns with approximately 6:30pm ET).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX's Starship rocket launches from Starbase during the 12th test flight as seen from South Padre Island, Texas, on May 22, 2026.The third-generation Starship, dubbed V3, blasted off from the south…
https://www.dw.com/en/spacex-launches-biggest-starship-rocke…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX launched Starship on its Integrated Flight Test 3 from their Starbase facility in South Texas on March 14, 2024.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmFzMT7IbB8
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other…
https://www.spacex.com/launches
info
“flew for roughly 66 minutes before the upper-stage Starship reentered the atmosphere”
SINGLE SOURCE
While sources confirm the flight occurred and splashed down, the specific duration of '66 minutes' is not explicitly corroborated across multiple sources for Flight 12; a similar figure (65 mins) is mentioned for a different flight (Flight 4).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This article is about the entire launch vehicle. For the upper stage and spacecraft, see SpaceX Starship (spacecraft). Starship is a two-stage, fully ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 hours ago ... The rocket is made up of two parts: the Starship spacecraft on the top and its super heavy booster below. During the launch, the booster will be ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYqN8YiDcW6/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 6, 2024 ... After “hot staging” stage separation, where the Starship upper stage ... before splashing down about 65 minutes after liftoff. “Despite ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtemisProgram/comments/1d9oe2k/sta…
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“the vehicle tipped over and burst into flames [seconds after touching the water]”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources describe the vehicle tipping over and exploding upon hitting the water, both for this specific flight and as a general characteristic of previous splashdowns.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The first launch of a full Starship vehicle occurred on April 20, 2023, and ended with the explosion of the rocket four minutes after liftoff. The program has ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 13, 2024 ... Same thing that happened last time and to the booster during its water landing. The ship and booster are both pressurized and when it tips over ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/spaceXverse/posts/3423274214…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 26, 2025 ... Jim McDade When it landed in the water , then fell over and blew up.. 38w. Ken Malmquist. Was it supposed to blow up like that after splashdown?
https://www.facebook.com/NASASpaceflight/posts/ship-37-flip-…
verified
“Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on the twelfth flight test of Starship!”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and official SpaceX communications explicitly identify this as the twelfth flight test of Starship.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Starship flight test 12 will be the twelfth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle, using Booster 19 and Ship 39. Flight 12 will feature the first use of Block 3 vehicles, as well as being th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Flight_12
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The twelfth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch Thursday, May 21.The upcoming flight will debut the next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the next evolution of the R…
https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-12
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It was the 12th test flight of Starship and the first launch of a major new iteration of the vehicle, known as Version 3. SpaceX officials have described it as almost a different rocket, incorporating…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/science/spacex-starship-l…
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“the Starship deployed dummy Starlink satellites about 20 minutes after launch”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm the deployment of dummy Starlink satellites approximately 20 minutes after launch.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — During the mission, the Starship deployed dummy Starlink satellites about 20 minutes after launch and tested new hardware, including heat-shield changes intended to stress the vehicle during reentry. …
https://www.rt.com/news/640457-spacex-starship-test-flight/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Around 20 minutes after launch, the upper stage started ejecting eight dummy Starlink satellites into space, before re-lighting one of its engines in flight as part of another test.
https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacexs-starship-depl…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Starship V3 Ship deploys 22 dummy Starlink satellites, coasts in space.SpaceX's Starship V3 upper stage, Ship 39, has successfully deployed all 22 of its dummy Starlink satellites. The process appeare…
https://www.space.com/news/live/spacex-starship-flight-12-la…
info
“tested new hardware, including heat-shield changes intended to stress the vehicle during reentry”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about testing heat-shield changes intended to stress the vehicle is mentioned in the RT World News report, but not explicitly detailed in the other provided search results for Flight 12.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Starship is a two-stage, fully reusable, super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. Currently built and launched from Starbase in Texas, it is intended as …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket - collectively referred to as Starship - represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the …
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · SpaceX is now targeting a Friday, May 22, launch for its newest Starship design, the Starship V3 megarocket after a launch scrub. See our latest updates here.
https://www.space.com/news/live/spacex-starship-flight-12-la…
info
“At least one of the spacecraft’s six engines reportedly malfunctioned during the flight”
SINGLE SOURCE
While engine malfunctions are common in Starship tests (cited in Flight 2 and Flight 8 evidence), only one recent report mentions a failure scattering debris over Florida/Bahamas, but it doesn't explicitly link it to the 6-engine count of the Starship upper stage for Flight 12 in a corroborated way.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The booster was planned to land on the Gulf of Mexico, but experienced multiple engine failures and exploded during its boostback burn. The Starship second ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_flight_test_2
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web search NEUTRAL — 2 hours ago ... The failure was due to an engine malfunction, scattering debris over Florida and the Bahamas. This marks the second failed test in six weeks.
https://www.facebook.com/ArabNews/posts/the-latest-edition-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 24, 2025 ... "The most probable root cause for the loss of Starship was identified as a hardware failure in one of the upper stage's center Raptor engines ...
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/…
help
“The Super Heavy booster separated earlier in the flight and reportedly performed a “hard” splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the Super Heavy booster's specific splashdown performance for Flight 12.
help
“only a handful of engines reignited for a boostback burn”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the number of engines that reignited for the boostback burn for Flight 12.
schedule
“Starship is central to SpaceX’s long-term plans, including NASA’s Artemis lunar program”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.