SpaceX’s Starship rocket lifts off for inaugural test flight, but explodes midair

The Starship rocket of SpaceX took off on its first test flight, but unfortunately burst in the middle of the air.

On Thursday at 9:28 a.m. ET, SpaceX’s Starship, which is considered the most powerful rocket ever built, took off from a launch pad situated on the coast of South Texas for its first test flight.

However, the rocket exploded midair before the stage separation occurred.

The launch was significant as it marked the inaugural test flight of the vehicle.

SpaceX tweeted that Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during the flight test.

The Super Heavy rocket booster, which carries 33 engines, was responsible for the launch, and it produced a tremendous boom across the coastal landscape.

As it fired up, the Starship spacecraft, which was situated on top of the booster, flew out over the Gulf of Mexico.

The plan was for the Super Heavy rocket booster to use most of its fuel and detach from the Starship spacecraft roughly two and a half minutes after takeoff, leaving the booster to be thrown away in the ocean.

The Starship was supposed to use its engines to propel itself for more than six minutes, traveling at almost orbital speeds.

During the flight, the Starship reached a maximum altitude of 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) above the ground, and the explosion happened approximately four minutes after takeoff, as reported by SpaceX.