\n<\/p>\n
The latest test of Space X’s giant Starship rocket has failed, minutes after launch. <\/p>\n Officials at Elon Musk’s company said the upper stage was lost after problems developed after lift-off from Texas on Thursday.<\/p>\n But the Super Heavy booster managed to return to its launchpad as planned, prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams.<\/p>\n The mission came hours after the first flight of the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket system, backed by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The two tech billionaires both want to dominate the space vehicle market.<\/p>\n “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause,” SpaceX posted on X.<\/p>\n “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Unverified footage shared on social media shows what appears to be the rocket breaking up in flames.<\/p>\n And footage showed orange balls of light flying across the sky over the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince, leaving a trail of smoke behind.<\/p>\n “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” Mr Musk posted on X, sharing a video showing a fiery trail streaking though the sky. <\/p>\n He also said “improved versions” of the ship and booster were “already waiting for launch”.<\/p>\n “Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen\/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity,” Musk said a short while later, adding that “nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month”. <\/p>\n Footage of the launch clocked up 7.2m views, according to a SpaceX livestream. <\/p>\n The Starship system had lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, at 17:38 EST (22:38 GMT) in the company’s seventh test mission.<\/p>\n The Starship upper stage separated from its Super Heavy booster nearly four minutes into flight as planned. <\/p>\n But then SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot reported on a live stream that mission teams had lost contact with the ship.<\/p>\n The Super Heavy booster managed to return to its launchpad roughly seven minutes after lift-off as planned, prompting an eruption of applause from ground control teams.<\/p>\n The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was aware “an anomaly occurred” during the SpaceX mission.<\/p>\n “The FAA briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where space vehicle debris was falling. Normal operations have resumed,” it said in a statement.<\/p>\n It comes a day after a SpaceX rocket blasted off from Florida carrying two privately constructed lunar landers and a micro rover to the Moon.<\/p>\n The uncrewed Falcon 9 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.<\/p>\n And Bezos’ Blue Origin company successfully launched a rocket into orbit<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n It was a huge step forward for Bezos and his company that has spent years getting to the point of sending a rocket into orbit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n