SpaceX's massive Starship booster explodes in Gulf of Mexico before spacecraft soars into orbit
The original goal of the Starship flight was to retrieve every single piece of the rocket for recycling, but the first-stage booster malfunctioned upon return.
SpaceX launched the 15th test flight of its Starship rocket on Friday, as part of Elon Musk's ambitious plan to create a fully reusable rocket system for space travel. The 236-foot Starship spacecraft successfully reached orbit, deploying 26 advanced Starlink satellites. However, the accompanying Super Heavy booster malfunctioned during its return journey, exploding in the Gulf of Mexico after an abortive attempt to land at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas.
Despite the setback, SpaceX aims to catch and recycle all parts of the rocket for future launches. This marks the 15th Starship spacecraft to have lifted off from Texas, with previous spacecraft landing in the ocean after their missions.
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