During its first test flight on Thursday, SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, exploded mid-flight, preventing it from reaching space. Although it successfully lifted off from a launch pad in South Texas, it began to tumble and eventually combusted entirely after four minutes. While the rocket separated from the Super Heavy booster as planned, it failed to separate from it during the flight, leading to the explosion before it could achieve orbital speeds. SpaceX plans to analyze the data and continue with future flight tests, with another test launch being teased by CEO Elon Musk in a few months.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023
Starship rocket of SpaceX took off from South Texas but exploded before separating from its booster. This was the rocket’s first test flight. The booster, housing 33 engines, made a loud noise as it lifted off, carrying the Starship spacecraft with it over the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship was supposed to reach nearly orbital speeds using its own engines, but the rocket exploded after about four minutes of flight at a height of 24.2 miles above the ground. SpaceX will review the data and plan for the next flight test.
Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!
Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months. pic.twitter.com/gswdFut1dK
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023