It is the third SpaceX Starship to blow up after landing – but billionaire founder Elon Musk didn’t let it faze him – tweeting ‘RIP SN10’ as his work went up in a fireball
Footage shows the moment yet another rocket burst into a spectacular fireball in a failed test launch.
It is the third Starship to blow up after landing.
The space entrepreneur has managed successful launches of all three rockets, showing his crafts are more than capable of soaring flawlessly off the ground.
But landings have consistently proved a hurdle for the billionaire’s SpaceX venture, as work continues to perfect its heavy-duty launch vehicle prototype.
Despite the fiery ending, the latest launch on Wednesday from Boca Chica, Texas, broke new ground for the Tesla founder.
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The craft flew itself back to Earth to achieve the first upright landing for a Starship model – but the triumph was short-lived.
Listing slightly to one side as an automated fire-suppression system trained a stream of water on flames still burning at the base of the rocket, the spacecraft blew itself to pieces about eight minutes after touchdown.
The Starship is being developed by SpaceX to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.