SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Finally Flies—but Blows Up Minutes Later

It finally happened—and it was as spectacular as we hoped. SpaceX’s Starship megarocket blasted off from the Boca Chica, Texas, launch pad just after 9:30 a.m. ET this morning, lifted upwards by a record-breaking 16.5 million pounds of thrust.

The rocket managed to survive MaxQ, the moment when a rocket experiences the greatest aerodynamic pressure, and continued upwards toward space. Things turned sour shortly before the four-minute mark, however, when the rocket began to exhibit erratic flight behavior. The rocket blew up, presumably the result of a self-destruct command issued by SpaceX ground control.

Still, it’s an amazing result. SpaceX was simply hoping to see the rocket leave the Boca Chica launch tower, so everything that happened afterwards would be considered a bonus.

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