Elon Musk SpaceX Starship Launch Ended in Mid-Air Explosion
The much-awaited Space X Starship launch made history after launching its rocket, which is considered to be the biggest in the world. However, the Starship launch ended in a mid-air explosion. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's giant Starship made history as the biggest rocket ever made, but its much-awaited first launch on Thursday ended in a mid-air explosion.

According to CNBC, the SpaceX rocket did not have any crew on board. SpaceX is owned by Elon Musk, who also owned and headed Tesla and Twitter.

Musk said the company has "learned a lot" after the Starship test fligh in southern tip of Texas on Thursday morning. The billionaire then teased that another test launch may occur "in a few months."

SpaceX first announced that there will be a Starship test flight on Monday, which was postponed after a pressure valve in the Super Heavy booster froze. SpaceX teams noted that they would resolve several issues before launching a second attempt.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chief, Bill Nelson, congratulated SpaceX after the first integrated flight test.

Nelson tweeted that every "great achievement" in history has "demanded some level of calculated risk." The NASA chief noted that "with great risk comes great reward."

Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship Launch

The Starship test flight reached its highest point at 24.2 miles above the ground. SpaceX said the explosion occurred about four minutes after liftoff.

SpaceX noted that the vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, CNN reported. The company also said the rocket lost altitude and started to tumble, with the flight termination system commanded on both the booster and ship.

SpaceX added that the teams would continue to review data and work toward their next flight test. The road and beach near the launchpad will reportedly remain closed until Friday.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said an "anomaly" happened during the ascent and before the stage separation, resulting in a vehicle loss.

But the FAA noted that no injuries or public property damage had been reported. SpaceX tweeted after the explosion that success comes "from what we learn."

The company went on to say that the Starship launch would help improve the rocket's reliability. After the launch, Elon Musk congratulated the SpaceX team members, adding that it was "an exciting test launch."

SpaceX's Starship

NASA has been relying on SpaceX to build a version of Starship that can carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface as it attempts to return to landing on the moon.

Elon Musk had tried to dwindle expectations about the Starship test flight before the launch, saying that it might take several tries before it succeeds at his test flight.

The New York Times reported that Daniel Dumbacher, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said it was not a failure as the brief flight produced numerous information for engineers to understand how the vehicle performed.

Dumbacher was a former high-level NASA official. He noted that the launch was considered a "learning experience."

White House space adviser during the Obama administration Phil Larson said that flying rockets and reusing those had massive "potential to change the game and transportation to orbit."

SpaceX remains at the top of the global spaceflight game. It has managed to launch rockets to space 25 times this year alone.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: SpaceX Starship Rocket Blows up Minutes After Launch - From Guardian News