SpaceX Starship Explodes After Launch

The first uncrewed test flight of SpaceX’s integrated Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket ended in a dramatic explosion shortly after launch on Thursday. While the cause off the company’s latest “rapid unscheduled disassembly” has not yet been announced, it appears as though Starship failed to separate from the rocket as planned. The vehicle hit a maximum altitude of roughly 39 kilometers (about 127,950 feet), exploding just short of four minutes after launch.

“As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” SpaceX said. “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary.”

As previously reported by AVweb, SpaceX attempted the launch on Monday but scrubbed before liftoff due to a frozen valve. Company CEO Elon Musk stated via Twitter that Starship's next test launch would take place “in a few months.” Designed for transporting crew and cargo to the Moon and eventually Mars, Starship measures 394 feet tall and is powered by 33 Raptor engines.