The Blubber

SpaceX's massive Starship rocket, the most powerful rocket ever constructed, conducted its first unpiloted test flight. However, after successfully flying for over two minutes, the rocket lost control and exploded, resulting in a fiery cloud of debris.

SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, who provided commentary on the company's webcast, referred to the event as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" (RUD) during ascent. He emphasized that the flight was a developmental test and that the goal was to gather data and prepare for future tests. Insprucker also noted that while the outcome of such tests is uncertain, excitement is always guaranteed.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk congratulated the SpaceX team on the exciting test launch and expressed that valuable lessons were learned for the next test launch, which is scheduled to take place in a few months.

The launch, which took place on Thursday, was the second attempt after the initial countdown was halted on Monday due to a frozen valve. The launch took place at 9:30 a.m. EDT from SpaceX's "Starbase" facility and was witnessed by thousands of residents, tourists, and journalists from South Padre Island.

The Super Heavy first stage, powered by 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, generated 16 million pounds of thrust—double the power of NASA's current record-holding SLS moon rocket. The rocket initially ascended vertically before tilting onto an easterly path toward the Florida Straits, consuming approximately 40,000 pounds of propellant per second.