SpaceX Starship: Why did Elon Musk’s world’s biggest rocket explode and why was it a success?

Rebecca Braybrook
By Rebecca Braybrook
Published 21st Apr 2023, 12:29 BST
The launch of Space X’s Starship rocket has been hailed as a success despite exploding just minutes into its first flight

Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has successfully launched the world’s biggest rocket ship during a landmark test. Starship - the biggest and most powerful rocket ever created - launched from Boca Chica in Texas on Thursday (April 20) morning after being delayed on Monday (April 17).

The launch was initially delayed after a stuck valve saw the rocket miss its initial launch window on Monday. But Starship did launch on Thursday morning with thousands of spectators watching nearby.

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Despite Starship exploding just minutes into the launch, SpaceX has branded the test flight as a success, with plans to launch a second test flight in just months. Founder and CEO Elon Musk has congratulated the team on an “exciting test launch”.

The rocket had initially exceeded expectations from SpaceX and Elon Musk, who hoped to launch the rocket without destroying the launch pad infrastructure. Musk had previously said that Starship not prematurely exploding would be considered “a win”.

SpaceX had planned to send the rocket on one near-complete revolution of Earth before bringing Starship down into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. Future plans for the rocket include potential flights to the Moon and Mars.

What happened during the Starship launch?

Elon Musk and SpaceX had their wishes granted as Starship successfully launched without destroying the launch pad. However, just minutes into the flight, Starship’s system failed to separate which sent the ship spiralling out of control.

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Six of the 33 onboard engines at the base of Starship had been shut off or flamed out, which was quickly followed by two halves of the vehicle staying connected, causing Starship to begin spinning in the sky. The spacecraft manufacturer said on Twitter that the flight had experienced "rapid, unscheduled disassembly before stage separation", which caused the rocket to begin losing altitude.

SpaceX then decided to destroy the world’s largest rocket with onboard charges just four minutes into its first test flight. No-one was hurt during the test flight that saw Starship uncrewed as it launched from the Texas shoreline.