SpaceX’s Starship rocket burst minutes after taking off from a launch pad in South Texas on Thursday. The most powerful spacecraft ever launched failed to reach orbit, yet it was not a total loss for the private spaceflight business.
Elon Musk, the company’s founder, had tempered expectations before the launch, suggesting it might take several attempts for Starship to succeed at this test mission, which intended to reach speeds fast enough to enter orbit before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
After Launch, SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes
The most powerful rocket ever built lifted off from a launchpad in South Texas on Thursday, but it fell short of its most ambitious targets.