SpaceX Starship rocket exploded the moment it hit the ground following its first high-altitude flight – leaving nothing behind but debris and cloud of smoke.
CEO Elon Musk had said it was unlikely that Starship serial number 8 (SN8) would land safely – and the billionaire was right.
The massive rocket took off from the firm’s Boca Chica testing facility at 5:45pm, igniting its powerful Raptor engines and soaring into the sky.
The flight lasted for around six minutes before the engines shutdown and SN8 began its journey back to the launch pad.
The world sat on the edge of their seats as the rocket neared the ground wondering Musk’s prediction was correct.
Then moment it touched down, the entire Starship blew up in flames, leaving nothing behind but a damaged piece of the nose cone.
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![SpaceX Starship rocket exploded the moment it hit the ground following its first high-altitude flight - leaving nothing behind but debris and cloud of smoke](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36660168-9030399-SpaceX_Starship_rocket_exploded_the_moment_it_hit_the_ground_fol-m-49_1607555907198.jpg)
SpaceX Starship rocket exploded the moment it hit the ground following its first high-altitude flight – leaving nothing behind but debris and cloud of smoke
Musk, however, was not shaken by the news that the billion dollar vehicle is now laying in pieces.
He immediately shared his excitement of the launch on Twitter, writing: ‘Successful ascent, switchover to header tanks & precise flap control to landing point!’
‘Fuel header tank pressure was low during landing burn, causing touchdown velocity to be high & RUD, but we got all the data we needed! Congrats SpaceX team hell yeah!!’
The Starship two-stage-to-orbit heavy lift vehicle has been in development since 2012 and is designed to bring the cost of launch down by being more reusable.
![The massive rocket took off from the firm's Boca Chica testing facility at 5:45pm, igniting its powerful Raptor engines and soaring into the sky](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36660632-9036981-image-a-36_1607556468763.jpg)
The massive rocket took off from the firm’s Boca Chica testing facility at 5:45pm, igniting its powerful Raptor engines and soaring into the sky
![Starship soared straight up into the air for its first high-altitude flight](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36660630-9036981-image-a-37_1607556476588.jpg)
Starship soared straight up into the air for its first high-altitude flight
![The flight lasted for around six minutes before the engines shutdown and SN8 began its journey back to the launch pad](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36661036-9036981-The_flight_lasted_for_around_six_minutes_before_the_engines_shut-m-39_1607556650405.jpg)
The flight lasted for around six minutes before the engines shutdown and SN8 began its journey back to the launch pad
The high-altitude flight was focused on testing a number of features of the giant spaceship, that could take the first passengers to Mars as early as 2026, according to Musk.
These tests include the vehicle’s three Raptor engines, the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities including body flaps, and a ‘landing flip maneuver’.
![The high-altitude flight was focused on testing a number of features of the giant spaceship, that could take the first passengers to Mars as early as 2026, according to Musk](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36661150-9036981-image-a-41_1607556759505.jpg)
The high-altitude flight was focused on testing a number of features of the giant spaceship, that could take the first passengers to Mars as early as 2026, according to Musk
![These tests include the vehicle's three Raptor engines, the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities including body flaps, and a 'landing flip maneuver'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36661148-9036981-image-a-43_1607556779538.jpg)
These tests include the vehicle’s three Raptor engines, the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities including body flaps, and a ‘landing flip maneuver’
The test flight was initially set for December 2, then pushed to December 4 and then to December 7 when it was again Tuesday, which was scrubbed at the last minute.
This ‘hop’ is a historic event for SpaceX, as previous prototypes only hit 500 feet in the air.
But, it is also the most destructive.
Musk recently tweeted that a ‘lot of things need to go right’ for it to land back on solid ground after the suborbital flight, adding there is ‘probably 1/3 chance of completing all mission objectives.’
![Then moment it touched down, the entire Starship blew up in flame and when the smoke cleared, nothing was left but a damaged piece of the nose cone](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36660174-9030399-image-m-45_1607555557969.jpg)
Then moment it touched down, the entire Starship blew up in flame and when the smoke cleared, nothing was left but a damaged piece of the nose cone
![The massive 400-foot tall rocket sat on the launch pad Tuesday and after the countdown clock hit 'one' the engines began to vent, but seconds later the ground crew said 'Raptor abort'. However, it made the hop Wednesday, even though it did not make it out alive](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/22/36615060-9030399-The_massive_400_foot_tall_rocket_sat_on_the_launch_pad_and_after-a-27_1607552307955.jpg)
The massive 400-foot tall rocket sat on the launch pad Tuesday and after the countdown clock hit ‘one’ the engines began to vent, but seconds later the ground crew said ‘Raptor abort’. However, it made the hop Wednesday, even though it did not make it out alive
Going up just under eight miles is not enough to take it into space – but as all previous ‘hops’ have been measured in feet rather than miles – it is a significant step forward.
The edge of space is agreed by NASA and others to be 50 miles above sea level but to go into orbit you need to get to at least 100 miles above sea level.
![Going up just under eight miles is not enough to take it into space - but as all previous 'hops' have been measured in feet rather than miles - it is a significant step forward](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36661308-9036981-image-a-47_1607557228728.jpg)
Going up just under eight miles is not enough to take it into space – but as all previous ‘hops’ have been measured in feet rather than miles – it is a significant step forward
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/23/36661298-9036981-image-a-46_1607557212862.jpg)
The test flight was initially set for December 2, then pushed to December 4 (pictured) and then to December 7 when it was again Tuesday, which was scrubbed at the last minute
![The test flight will go up 7.8 miles then aim to land safely back at the testing facility in Texas](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/08/12/36590072-0-image-a-2_1607430639692.jpg)
The test flight will go up 7.8 miles then aim to land safely back at the testing facility in Texas
Last week Musk tweeted: ‘Good Starship SN8 static fire! Aiming for first 15km / ~50k ft altitude flight next week. Goals are to test 3 engine ascent, body flaps, transition from main to header tanks & landing flip.’
The overall height of test has dropped from 9 miles (15km) to 7.8 miles (12.5km), but no reason has been given for this change.
This suborbital flight will test how the vehicle’s three Raptor engines perform, the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities and how it manages propellant transition.
The prototype under test is dubbed SN8 and it will also attempt to perform a landing flip maneuver , which would be a first for a vehicle of this size.
![SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a photo of the massive Starship SN8 prototype on the launch pad at the testing facility in Texas](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/08/12/36590686-9030399-image-a-1_1607431723366.jpg)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a photo of the massive Starship SN8 prototype on the launch pad at the testing facility in Texas
‘With a test such as this, success is not measured by completion of specific objectives but rather how much we can learn,’ SpaceX wrote in a statement.
Adding that this ‘will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.’
The development of Starship has been rapid, with new prototypes and next generation models developed concurrently to allow for quick changes.
In the past year alone SpaceX has completed two low-altitude flight tests with SN5 and SN6 and over 16,000 seconds of run time during ground engine starts.
![The high-altitude test involves the three massive raptor engines to see how they manage in flight](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/22/36590734-9030399-The_high_altitude_test_involves_the_three_massive_raptor_engines-a-26_1607552307805.jpg)
The high-altitude test involves the three massive raptor engines to see how they manage in flight
![The giant rocket will eventually take satellites into orbit as well as passengers and payload to the Moon and Mars over the coming decades](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/08/12/36590736-9030399-image-a-2_1607431760449.jpg)
The giant rocket will eventually take satellites into orbit as well as passengers and payload to the Moon and Mars over the coming decades
‘Additionally, with production accelerating and fidelity increasing, SpaceX has built 10 Starship prototypes. SN9 is almost ready to move to the pad, which now has two active stands for rapid development testing,’ the firm said.
The landing is one of the most important aspects – as it needs to be fully reusable to achieve the goals and price per flight set out by the SpaceX team.
There are a number of potential uses for Starship – including deploying hundreds of satellites into orbit at one time and landing astronauts on the Moon and Mars.
The SpaceX CEO previously said there was a ‘fighting chance’ the first Starship flight to Mars could happen as early as 2024 – the year NASA plans to send the first woman and next man back to the surface of the Moon.
![If the high-altitude flight test - that will see the triple Raptor engine fire and lift the 400ft spaceship into the air - is successful, then further, higher tests will likely follow](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/09/22/35569838-9030399-If_the_high_altitude_flight_test_that_will_see_the_triple_Raptor-a-25_1607552307797.jpg)
If the high-altitude flight test – that will see the triple Raptor engine fire and lift the 400ft spaceship into the air – is successful, then further, higher tests will likely follow
![Musk tweeted that a 'lot of things need to go right' for it to land back on solid ground after the suborbital flight, adding there is 'probably 1/3 chance of completing all mission objectives](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/12/08/12/36590086-9030399-image-a-11_1607432088123.jpg)
Musk tweeted that a ‘lot of things need to go right’ for it to land back on solid ground after the suborbital flight, adding there is ‘probably 1/3 chance of completing all mission objectives
There are also other prototypes of the Starship craft ready to be tested if this flight fails, according to reports.
SN8 is the first prototype to feature a nosecone and nose fins that help in the high-altitude tests. The previous ‘short hops’ were carried out using prototype SN6.
That spaceship just had a ‘mass simulator’ up top that weighed as much as a nose.
Musk says he has SN9 and SN10 ready to go as they were developed in parallel to SN8 and follow a theme of ‘building successive generations of prototypes’ rapidly so they y can test and iterate quickly.
‘SN8’s flight test is an exciting next step in the development of a fully reusable transportation system capable of carrying both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond,’ SpaceX wrote.
‘As we venture into new territory, we continue to appreciate all of the support and encouragement we have received.’