For the second consecutive attempt Elon Musk ‘s dream of conquering Mars faced a setback. On Thursday SpaceX rocket launched from Texas exploded just minutes after liftoff marking another failed mission for Musk’s ambitious space exploration company.

Eyewitnesses described the dramatic scene resembling a sudden burst of bright light and fiery sparks in the sky. What initially seemed like fireworks turned out to be a tragic mid-air explosion of the rocket, captured on video by residents in the Bahamas. These videos quickly spread across social media.

Initially, the rocket appeared to be functioning normally. It ascended about 20 degrees above the horizon before transforming into a massive fireball making it clear that the rocket had exploded. Some described the wreckage as resembling “flying fireworks,” a sight unlike anything they’d witnessed before.

403-foot-tall rocket system launched from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas at 6:30 PM local time. This marked SpaceX’s eighth test flight. The spacecraft was intended to re-enter Earth’s orbit over the Indian Ocean after a one-hour flight reaching an altitude of approximately 150 kilometers before the explosion occurred.

Moments after launch, the spacecraft’s engine shut down, resulting in a loss of communication. However, the Super Heavy Booster successfully returned to the launchpad. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and air traffic resumed shortly after the incident.

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This wasn’t the first such failure. Just two months earlier another SpaceX rocket suffered a similar fate, adding to the challenges Musk’s team faces in their quest for Mars exploration.