• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship explodes during largest ever rocket launch in history

Home> News

Updated 15:13 20 Apr 2023 GMT+1Published 14:51 20 Apr 2023 GMT+1

Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship explodes during largest ever rocket launch in history

Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship has exploded seconds after launch

Ali Condon

Ali Condon

Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship officially launched today - only to explode just seconds later.

The spacecraft is the most powerful space rocket ever developed and stands at 120-meters tall.

Although the vehicle did successfully lift off from SpaceX Starbase in Texas, it exploded quite shortly after.

The test flight was due to last 1.5 hours before touching down in the Gulf of Mexico.

Advert

But, soon after the launch, booster rocket, Super Heavy, appeared to have failed to separate as planned. As a result, the two exploded, rather dramatically, in the sky.

Despite that, the launch is being described as a success by SpaceX, in true Elon style.

Commenting on the launch - and the subsequent explosion - a thread from Space X read: "As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation.

"Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.

Advert

"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

"Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting first integrated flight test of Starship!"

The launch was technically a success - everything after that was not.
SpaceX

Starship is the vehicle that SpaceX plans to eventually use to send people and cargo to the moon and one day Mars, marking the beginnings of space tourism.

Advert

Though, it looks like they still have quite a lot of work to do before anyone will be willing to climb onboard.

The explosion comes just days after the rocket's planned launch was scrapped at the last minute.

The original lift off had been scheduled for Monday (17 April) but, just minutes before lift-off, Elon announced that it would have to be postponed due to a frozen valve.

"A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today," the Twitter CEO tweeted.

Advert

He added that the SpaceX team had 'learnt a lot' and would 'retry in a few days.'

Elon Musk still seems pretty happy with how the launch went.
dpa picture alliance/Alamy

In fairness, before the explosion, Elon Musk had warned that there was a good chance things could go wrong.

"I guess I would just like to set expectations... low," he said on Twitter Space just a few hours before the originally scheduled launch.

Advert

He noted that, if the rocket did successfully launch, there was a good chance it would explode rather than make its full trip.

So, at least he saw it coming?

Featured Image Credit: @SpaceX/Twitter

Topics: Elon Musk, SpaceX

Ali Condon
Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

X

@alicondon

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

7 hours ago
8 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • 7 hours ago

    'Fridge cigarette' trend explained as Gen Z ditches traditional smoke breaks

    The new trend is taking TikTok by storm

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Doctor reveals what you should never do in bed as he explains best way to beat insomnia

    Dr. Matthew Walker has offered some tips to curb insomnia and scrub up on your bedtime habits

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    FBI issues urgent warning to 150,000,000 US iPhone users to delete this text as soon as it appears

    Attacks on iPhones and Androids have surged more than 700 percent this month

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Surprising meaning behind people who keep waking up at the same time every night

    It's surprisingly common

    News
  • Elon Musk's SpaceX set to make history as rocket launches for first-ever all-civilian space walk
  • Elon Musk uses unique two-hands test to hire SpaceX employees
  • Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket destroyed less than ten minutes after takeoff as footage shows major explosion
  • Regulators investigating reports of property damage after SpaceX rocket explodes ten minutes after takeoff