SpaceX Launch of world's most powerful rocket ends in failure

BOCA CHICA, TX—SpaceX attempted the first orbital launch of their upcoming reusable super-heavy-lift launch vehicle, Starship, at 8:33 AM CST last Thursday. The attempt, which ended in failure just before stage separation, is still being hailed by SpaceX as a major milestone in the development of Starship. No injuries were caused as a result of the failure.

SpaceX lost control of the vehicle just before stage separation and activated the remote abort system to prevent the vehicle from crashing into populated areas. Six of the spacecraft’s 33 first-stage Raptor Engines also failed throughout the flight.

Starship now holds the title of the most powerful rocket ever launched, with over twice the thrust of the Saturn V. SpaceX hopes that Starship will one day allow for the colonization of Mars through the rapid reuse of both stages of the spacecraft.

However, the vehicle has experienced a variety of safety and environmental concerns which significantly delayed the vehicles first launch attempt.

The launch also left a notable crater beneath the orbital launch mount leading to debris concerns surrounding future launches.

“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary,” SpaceX tweeted after the launch.