SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded on Thursday minutes after lifting off from Texas, dooming an attempt to deploy mock satellites in the second consecutive failure for Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program.
The failure comes just more than a month after the company’s seventh Starship flight also ended in an explosive failure.
The 403ft (123-meter) rocket system had lifted off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, rocket facilities, but the rocket's upper stage began to spin uncontrollably with its engines cutting off, leading to the loss of contact.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened a mishap investigation into the incident, and SpaceX will need the agency's approval before Starship can fly again.