‘Successful’ Starship test flight ends in explosion

The Starship system includes the Starship vehicle itself - designed to one day take humans to the Moon and Mars – alongside SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket. According to the company, it will be the most powerful launch system ever developed, standing at 120m and capable of lifting more than 100 metric tonnes into Earth orbit.

SpaceX Crew-1 mission en route to ISS

SpaceX bags Falcon Heavy hat-trick rocket landing

At 22.45 UK time on December 9^th, the 50m SN8 prototype launched without the assistance of the 70m Super Heavy from SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Cameron County, South Texas. Powered by three of the company’s Raptor engines, the vehicle was due to hit a height of 12,500m before returning to Earth. While it is unclear whether the SN8 achieved this height, Musk claimed on Twitter that there had been a “successful ascent, switchover to header tanks & precise flap control to landing point!”