SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program suffered another setback on Thursday as the massive rocket exploded shortly after liftoff, further delaying Elon Musk’s plans for Mars exploration.
The 400-foot spacecraft, equipped with 33 Raptor engines, launched at 6:30 p.m. ET from the Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. However, about nine minutes into its flight, the rocket began spinning out of control as its engines failed, leading to a total loss of communication with mission control.