After blasting off on its first test flight, SpaceX's giant new rocket exploded and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
From Texas' southern tip, near the Mexican border, Elon Musk's company was planning to launch the biggest rocket ever built on a round-the-world trip. No people or satellites were aboard the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship.
As the rocket ascended, multiple engines on the 33-engine booster failed to fire, causing it to lose altitude and tumble. An explosion and plummeting into the water resulted from the rocket's self-destruct system.
The launch was described as "an exciting test launch of Starship!" by Musk in a tweet. The unscheduled disassembly was termed a "rapid unscheduled disassembly by SpaceX."