Starship launch news – live: SpaceX launches world’s biggest rocket, which explodes shortly after

SpaceX has launched the world’s biggest rocket – which exploded seconds later.

The spacecraft successfully left its launchpad, but the two parts of the rocket failed to separate and they exploded in a dramatic cloud minutes later.

SpaceX nonetheless hailed the test as a success, having said that any flight that did not blow up the rocket’s launchpad would be considered a “win”.

Mr Musk said that the information gained from the test would be used to guide work on future versions of the spacecraft, the next text of which he said will happen in a “few months”.

You can follow all the latest news and updates right here after SpaceX’s launch of the most powerful and largest rocket the world has ever seen.

Key points

• Rocket dramatic explodes moments after launch

• Everything you need to know about today’s launch

• How big is Starship?

• What will Starship do?

Who owns SpaceX?

16:27 , Andrew Griffin

Unlike Tesla, SpaceX is a private company and there’s little information on who owns it. But it is regulated by the US government, including the Federal Communications Commission, which means some information is available about who controls the company.

Mr Musk is these days thought to be the biggest shareholder but not the majority one: recent filings have suggested he owns about 42 per cent of it. The rest is held by a range of investors, many too small to disclose.

Elon Musk shares drone view of Starship soaring into the sky

15:29 , Andrew Griffin

Picture shows rocket streaking through the sky

15:24 , Andrew Griffin

Here you can see the Starship rocket as it streaks through the sky (shortly before it exploded...).

Musk had looked to lower expectations ahead of launch

15:15 , Andrew Griffin

Just before the launch attempt on Monday, Elon Musk held a call on Twitter spaces in which he warned that it was likely that the rocket would explode or even fail to take off at all.

Here’s our story from then.

Musk hails launch as ‘exciting'

15:03 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk has finally tweeted after the launch.

Dramatic images show rocket lifting off

15:02 , Andrew Griffin

Here’s the dramatic scenes as Starship took off and became the world’s most powerful rocket ever to launch.

Musk retweets dramatic video of Starship lifting off

14:57 , Andrew Griffin

Musk hasn’t tweeted about the explosion but has retweeted a SpaceX video that shows Starship lifting off.

You don’t see the explosion in this. But you do get some sense of the vast power of that rocket – which, even with the explosion, is the most powerful rocket launch ever.

Elon Musk yet to respond to explosion

14:54 , Andrew Griffin

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk is yet to respond to the explosion. His last tweet came half an hour ago, when he shared his view of the launch.

Starship makes it off the ground – but explodes soon after

14:47 , Andrew Griffin

Here’s our full story on today’s launch and explosion.

SpaceX says launch was a success

14:46 , Andrew Griffin

In a series of tweets, SpaceX says that it will be learning from the explosion to make Starship more reliable.

SpaceX says launch was a success despite the explosion

14:42 , Andrew Griffin

The launch was a great success, despite the explosion (or rapid unscheduled disassembly, as SpaceX calls them). It had only hoped that it would clear the launchpad, which it did.

SpaceX doesn’t have any information about the cause of the explosion and so will end its live coverage.

Rocket explodes in the sky

14:41 , Andrew Griffin

Starship just exploded dramatically in the sky.

The explosion happened just after the two pieces were supposed to separate.

Rocket clears tower

14:35 , Andrew Griffin

One minute into the test and everything looks like it is working. The rocket has cleared its launchpad and is flying up into space.

LIFTOFF

14:34 , Andrew Griffin

Starship is taking off.

Clock restarted and launch is go

14:33 , Andrew Griffin

We’re now 40 seconds from launch.

Issues appear to be fixed, SpaceX says

14:32 , Andrew Griffin

Engineers appear to have fixed those problems and we’re moving back towards starting the clock again, SpaceX said. If and when that happens, the clock will start again at 40 seconds.

‘Couple of issues’ with rocket

14:32 , Andrew Griffin

There are a couple of problems being looked into. The first was the pressurisation, which has since been fixed; the second is some final “purging” and we’re just waiting to hear what might be happening with that.

Hold could also 15 minutes

14:31 , Andrew Griffin

The team has the option to hold off launch for about 15 minutes at this point. If there is a problem that is likely to take longer than that, the launch may have to be postponed again as it was on Monday.

As of now, there is no update from SpaceX on what has called the hold and whether it might be fixable.

Launch is being HELD

14:29 , Andrew Griffin

The clock reached 40 seconds from launch, which was the last opportunity that flight directors had to hold, and that’s exactly what they did.

We’re now waiting to see why that has happened and when and whether the team will press ahead.

One minute to go

14:27 , Andrew Griffin

The engines are wiggling and the rocket looks like it is about to go.

Three minutes left and rocket is full

14:26 , Andrew Griffin

The rocket is full and there’s three minutes left to go.

Five minutes to go

14:24 , Andrew Griffin

Cheers erupt at SpaceX as the clock ticks down to less than five minutes to go.

SpaceX’s commentators remind viewers that success is “anything we learn that will help with future builds of Starship”.

“If we lift off the pad we’re calling that a win.”

Starship looking good as liftoff approaches

14:21 , Andrew Griffin

Everything is still looking good, with about eight minutes left to go before takeoff. The final bits of propellant are being loaded into the rocket, and it will soon be ready to go, with 10 million lbs of liquid inside.

No reports of boats in the range

14:19 , Andrew Griffin

There are no boats in the way of the rocket as it takes off over the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX says. The team has to make sure there is nothing in the water underneath where the rocket could fall, for obvious reasons. (That was another issue SpaceX had on Monday – when a boat was spotted by the Coast Guard in the range – though it wasn’t the reason the launch got postponed.)

Raptor engines chill down ready for liftoff

14:16 , Andrew Griffin

The raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster are chilling down ahead of takeoff.

Still no significant issues being worked on by the team and everything seems to be going to plan, SpaceX says.

20 minutes to go and the rocket is ready and waiting

14:11 , Andrew Griffin

Everything is looking good, including the weather and winds that had given flight controllers cause for concern, according to SpaceX. “We believe that we’re going to be go”, and there are no issues being worked on at the moment.

There’s less than 20 minutes left to go until expected takeoff.

33 engines waiting to lift off

14:09 , Andrew Griffin

Here are the 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster, all ready and waiting to light up and lift off.

Less than 30 minutes until launch

14:00 , Andrew Griffin

SpaceX appears to be running on time. That means we’ve now got less than 30 minutes until the launch, which will happen at roughly 28 minutes past the hour.

SpaceX shows drone views of Starship at Starbase

13:57 , Andrew Griffin

On the live feed, SpaceX is showing views of the launchpad. Its drone view looks a lot less foggy than those from Spaceflight Now, below.

SpaceX live stream begins

13:55 , Andrew Griffin

After a little delay, the SpaceX live stream has started. You can find it below.

Starship ‘on track to launch’ says Elon Musk

13:55 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk has tweeted that the the launch is “on track”. His post suggests that the countdown is on time: his schedule would indicate that SpaceX is aiming for roughly 9.28am local time, which is when the window opens.

SpaceX yet to start live stream

13:50 , Andrew Griffin

There has been no word from SpaceX on the beginning of its live stream. It usually starts about 45 minutes before liftoff, and there’s now 38 minutes until the window opens.

But the company might be opting to push back the actual launch. (That might to be wait and see if the fog is burnt off by the sun, which is now rising across the sky.)

SpaceX does have a fairly wide launch window today, and therefore a substantial amount of time to wait if it needs it: the window is 62 minutes, and it closes at 9.30am local central time or 3.30pm in the UK.

The company has not given any update on the launch generally, either. The official SpaceX account – which is usually used to give updates before the stream begins – has not tweeted for 45 minutes, when it announced that the Starship spacecraft was being fuelled.

‘Prog’ blankets launchpad as world waits for live stream

13:45 , Andrew Griffin

In this image from the Spaceflight Now live stream, you can see the “prog” – that is, a mix of the propellant cloud that is being vented from the rocket, and natural fog – as they sweep across SpaceX’s Starbase.

The official live stream has not yet begun, despite it usually kicking off with about 45 minutes to go. And there have been very few updates on SpaceX’s official mission audio.

Musk retweets weather post

13:42 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk has just retweeted this post, from the official SpaceX account, which went up about an hour ago.

Is he looking to flag the concerns about the weather? Or just trying to direct people’s attention? It’s not clear though we might find out soon.

13:37 , Andrew Griffin

Spaceflight Now is streaming from near SpaceX’s Starbase, where the Starship is waiting to launch.

As you can see, there appears to be a lot of fog this morning, which might be part of SpaceX’s concerns about the weather.

You can find that livestream here.

One hour until launch window opens

13:28 , Andrew Griffin

We’re now an hour away from the opening of the launch window. (That happens at 8.28am local central time, or 2.28pm in the UK.)

That also means we’re roughly 15 minutes from the start of the live stream. You can find that here – the video hasn’t start yet, but the link is live.

Space craft starts filling with fuel

13:11 , Andrew Griffin

Both the Super Heavy booster (the long, bottom bit of the rocket) and Starship’s upper stage (the actual spacecraft bit that sits at the top) are now being filled up with fuel, SpaceX says.

That’s all roughly on schedule, given that the launch window opens just under 90 minutes.

‘Go’ for propellant load

13:03 , Andrew Griffin

The team is ready to load propellant into the rocket, filling it up with the fuel that will hopefully keep it in orbit. But there also seems to be a concern about the weather, which could potentially postpone today’s launch.

What will happen today? What is the deal with this rocket?

11:12 , Andrew Griffin

... you can find out all that and more in this article: everything you need to know about today’s launch.

Read it here.

Preparations begin for next launch

10:41 , Andrew Griffin

It’s just before 5am in Texas, but overnight there have been plenty of preparations ahead of today’s (attempted) launch. Here, a crew sets up a remote camera to capture today’s launch – as the star of the show, the vast Starship, looms over them.

SpaceX livestream available on YouTube channel

09:22 , Andrew Griffin

It’s not actually showing anything yet, but the live video offered by SpaceX is available on its channel. There, you can sign up for a notification when it does actually go live, as well as see a countdown to when that will happen.

You can find it here.

‘Quite the day’: Musk has lots going on for 4/20

08:53 , Andrew Griffin

It’s not just the rocket launch happening for Elon Musk today – he’s also getting rid of “legacy” blue verified ticks on Twitter. He sounds excited.

He may have chosen today as the date for both because he has a particular affinity for the date 4/20.

What to expect in Starship launch

07:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

A successful test flight would see the Starship capsule flying almost completely around the Earth from Texas and splashing down in the sea off Hawaii.

The Super Heavy booster is expected to splash into the Gulf of Mexico about 8 minutes after liftoff.

SpaceX noted that the capsule would reach an altitude of about 240km (150 miles) and travel around the Earth before re-entring and splashing down into the Pacific Ocean.

Elon Musk says systems ‘green’ for launch

06:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

SpaceX chief Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday ahead of the anticipated Starship launch that all systems are ready.

“All systems currently green for launch,” Musk tweeted.

The company noted in a blog post earlier that it is targeting a 62-minute launch window opening at 8:28 am CT and closing at 9:30 a.m. CT.

Tests conducted so far on Starship, Super Heavy

05:50 , Vishwam Sankaran

SpaceX has so far conducted multiple sub-orbital flight tests of Starship’s upper stage.

These flight tests, the company says, have helped it validate the vehicle’s design and prove that it can fly through the subsonic phase of entry.

They have also shown it can re-light its engines and allign itself to a vertical configuration for landing.

Its teams have also previously conducted several tests of the Super Heavy rocket and have successfully constructed the world’s tallest rocket launch and catch tower that stands at 146m (nearly 500 ft).

SpaceX noted in its blog post that for the first flight test on Thursday, it will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of its Super Heavy booster.

When live webcast of launch would begin

05:00 , Vishwam Sankaran

SpaceX noted in a blog post that the live webcast of the Starship flight test will begin about 45 minutes before liftoff.

Liftoff is scheduled for a 62 minute launch window that opens at 8:28 am CT and closes at 9:30 am CT.

“As is the case with all developmental testing, this schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our social media channels for updates,” the company noted.

Teams continue to work towards launch window, SpaceX says

04:02 , Vishwam Sankaran

SpaceX tweeted that its teams continue working towards the launch window today.

The company said the launch window for its powerful Starship spacecraft, designed to carry both crew and cargo to orbit, would open at 8:28 am CT.

“The 62-minute launch window opens at 8:28 a.m. CT and closes at 9:30 a.m. CT,” the company noted in a blog post.

Launch date has special significance for Musk

Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:46 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk has been enjoying the prospect of a launch on 4/20. (Even if he has since suggested that it might not happen after all.) But why is he so into the number?

Here are some clues.

SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 9 carrying Starlink into space

Wednesday 19 April 2023 15:47 , Andrew Griffin

It’s a lot more routine than Starship, but SpaceX has had at least one success this week. It just launched a Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a set of Starlink internet satellites.

You can watch video of it going up here.

‘Maybe not’: 4/20 launch in doubt, says Elon Musk

Wednesday 19 April 2023 11:51 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk might not get a launch on his favourite date after all, it seems. In a tweet, he said the team is dealing with “many issues”, and suggested that it might not happen.

SpaceX launches ‘Starship Torch'

Wednesday 19 April 2023 08:26 , Andrew Griffin

“Mini Starship with flame!” Elon Musk tweeted. And that’s exactly what it is.

It’s coming later this year, in the third quarter, according to the listing. Here’s what SpaceX is saying about the product:

“The man in black, Johnny Cash knew a thing or two about burning desire. But love isn’t the only thing that burns. Sometimes you just want to caramelize the sugar on a crème brûlée or melt some cheese without all the subtext. Enter the Starship Torch.

“Designed to generate a windproof flame worthy of its namesake, the handheld Starship Torch will make easy work of searing anything from steak to meringue. Outside of the kitchen, fire up Starship to light candles or your fireplace. Who needs weak matches when you’ve got the power of Starship in your hands?

“When not in use, activate the safety lock and your torch transforms into a bad-ass 1:200 scale model of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft fit for display.

“It’s collectible. It’s functional. And it burns, burns, burns. The Starship Torch.”

More information, pre-orders, and some safety information can be found here.

(It’s not the first time Elon Musk has launched a promotional flamethrower, though this one is a little intense than the one he released a few years ago.)

SpaceX planning another launch today

Wednesday 19 April 2023 08:21 , Andrew Griffin

It’s not Starship, but Starlink: one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets is scheduled to leave Florida today, carrying 21 of the company’s Starlink internet satellites. It’s scheduled for 8.50am eastern, or 1.50pm in the UK.

‘Perhaps inevitable’, quips Musk about date

Tuesday 18 April 2023 16:25 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk has joked that the new date was “perhaps inevitable”. The launch will now happen on 4/20 – “weed day”, and a celebrated joke on the internet – much to his delight.

He’s enjoyed the number in the past: he got in trouble for suggesting he would take Tesla private at $420 a share. (He said that wasn’t actually a joke; the number was a legitimate offer.)

And he’s already got excitement going on that date. It’s the same day that Tesla will remove “legacy” blue ticks, which he seems to be doing at least in part to annoy the high-profile people who have got them.

As below: maybe Musk wanted this date all along. People certainly predicted it and he seemed to enjoy it.

SpaceX aiming for April 20

Tuesday 18 April 2023 14:07 , Andrew Griffin

SpaceX is now targeting 20 April for its next attempt at launching Starship. The launch window opens at 8.28am local central time (that’s 9.28am eastern, or 2.28pm UK time) and is open for 62 minutes.

Other than that, everything should run to much the same plan as Monday, but on Thursday instead.

(Yes, that’s right: the date is 4/20. Some might wonder whether this was Musk’s plan all along.)

Full story on today’s postponement

Monday 17 April 2023 14:52 , Andrew Griffin

Here’s the full rundown on what happened today (and, notably, what didn’t).

Elon Musk reacts to cancellation – and says new attempt will be a ‘few days'

Monday 17 April 2023 14:31 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk, who had been pessimistic about the chances of a successful launch today, says that lessons have been learned from today’s launch.

We still don’t know when the next launch will be but he says a “few days”.

(Sorry to keep going on about this, but 4/20 is just a few days away...)

SpaceX expecting a ‘minimum of 48 hours’ before it can go again

Monday 17 April 2023 14:20 , Andrew Griffin

We’ve not got a new date for the launch. But SpaceX says it will be at least 48 hours.

(That takes us very close to Thursday, which is 4/20 and one of Elon Musk’s favourite dates.)

The extra delay is because it got very close to the launch, so there’s more to reverse.

Countdown happening as usual

Monday 17 April 2023 14:18 , Andrew Griffin

With five minutes to go, everything looks like the launch is continuing. That’s because the wet dress rehearsal is a real rehearsal: everything is happening as it would on the day.

Today’s launch will probably not happen, SpaceX announces

Monday 17 April 2023 14:14 , Andrew Griffin

The “pressurisation issue” means that the plan is to treat today like a wet dress rehearsal. So it will still continue with the countdown, but won’t actually take off at the very end.

That won’t be confirmed right until the end: at any point up to T-10 seconds, SpaceX can decide that they will press go instead.

10 minutes left to launch

Monday 17 April 2023 14:10 , Andrew Griffin

We’re now in single-digit minutes. Launch is schedule for 10 minutes from now.

(No update on those issues mentioned below, however.)

SpaceX dealing with ‘pressurisation issue'

Monday 17 April 2023 14:05 , Andrew Griffin

Sensors have detected a problem with pressurisation on the rocket, SpaceX says. Engineers are working to fix it.

If they can’t, then they can hold the count. But they’d be likely to treat today’s launch as a dress rehearsal and use another of the launch windows.

In the meantime, the rocket is still being loaded with its propellant.

(There’s also still one boat in the way, SpaceX said. The coastguard are working to move it.)

Weather is good – but SpaceX is watching for winds

Monday 17 April 2023 13:58 , Andrew Griffin

Everything is looking good for the launch so far, SpaceX said. Weather is nice, and the range has been almost entirely cleared of boats.

The only thing it is watching is for winds, which are currently fine but could pick up later in the window.

If something does go wrong today, then SpaceX will have the option of postponing and trying again in 24 or 48 hours. Which of those they choose will depend on how far they get through the countdown.

Monday 17 April 2023 13:52 , Andrew Griffin

Here on this imagery from SpaceX, you can see how much of the rocket is made up of Starship itself, the actual spacecraft that humans could one day use to fly to the Moon.

The rest is made of the the ‘Super Heavy’ booster. That will drop off early in the mission and drop into the water. (Usually it would aim to land again for re-use, but SpaceX has decided this test is already ambitious enough and it won’t be doing that this time around.)

Both of those pieces have been tested, to various degrees, before. But today’s launch will be the first time that the two of them have been attached together and then shot into space.

Starship soars above the ground

Monday 17 April 2023 13:49 , Andrew Griffin

The rocket is standing proud on its pad in south Texas. We’re seeing some stunning images of it as morning arrives, with just over half an hour to go.

(SpaceX has noted that the view won’t be quite as good once the rocket sets off; at home on the launchpad, there are a whole load of cameras available to look at, but the live coverage will become a little less spectacular once the journey begins.)

Musk sounds confident

Monday 17 April 2023 13:37 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk has tweeted about proceedings. It’s notable less for the update –everything is proceeding on schedule – but more the fact that he sounds confident we will get liftoff.

Yesterday he said there was a good chance that the launch will be postponed. (It still very much could be, of course.)

Fueling begins

Monday 17 April 2023 13:34 , Andrew Griffin

The ‘Super Heavy’ booster is now getting fueled up, SpaceX says. (This is important for at least a couple of reasons: the fuel is obviously required to lift off the ground, but it also turns the rocket into a much more dangerous thing should anything go wrong.)

SpaceX sets new target time

Monday 17 April 2023 12:54 , Andrew Griffin

SpaceX is now targeting 8.20am local time, or 2.20pm in the UK, it has said in a tweet.

Tim Peake says launch will ‘herald a new era of deep space exploration'

Monday 17 April 2023 11:50 , Andrew Griffin

British astronaut Tim Peake is excited about today’s launch. He says it will be responsible for a “new era of deep space exploration”.

“SpaceX really is thinking big with Starship. This is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. But its ambition goes way beyond its gargantuan size: it is hoped that the rocket will herald a new era of deep space exploration, unlocking the potential for humans to visit other planets,” he said.

“This programme could be the launchpad for hugely exciting scientific research. I’m convinced that collaboration with commercial operators like SpaceX is vital for pushing the boundaries and enabling this new era of deep space exploration.”

Animation shows route of spacecraft as it flies around the Earth

Monday 17 April 2023 10:58 , Andrew Griffin

Here’s a neat little animation showing the journey that Starship will take when (or if) it lifts off today. You can see the two parts splitting, then the spacecraft making its way all around the Earth before splashing down in the sea.

Grimes celebrates upcoming orbit

Monday 17 April 2023 09:38 , Andrew Griffin

Musician Grimes, Elon Musk’s sometime partner, seems to be attending the launch. She’s posted a tweet that seems to be celebrating.

Elon Musk says he ‘doesn’t expect launch to happen’ in Twitter space

Monday 17 April 2023 09:29 , Andrew Griffin

Elon Musk says there’s a “good chance” today’s launch will get postponed. And if it doesn’t, then there’s a good chance it will go wrong when it happens.

“I guess I would just like to set expectations... low,” he said. “If we get far enough away from the launchpad before something goes wrong, I would consider that to be a success.”

If SpaceX sees “anything that gives us concern” it will postpone the launch, he said. (Musk has already predicted a launch on Thursday – which would be 4/20, a favourite date of his – so he seems to be factoring in a delay.)

“If we do launch, we’ll consider anything that does not result in the destruction of the [...] launch pad [...] a win.”

That’s what he said in a Twitter space, on Sunday evening, held to mark the upcoming launch.

You can listen to the full thing on YouTube below, thanks to Remo Uherek, who recorded it.

SpaceX shares new images of ‘fully stacked’ Starship waiting to go

Monday 17 April 2023 09:18 , Andrew Griffin

SpaceX has shared new images of Starship waiting on its launchpad.

Even before it takes off, these pictures show the biggest rocket ever made. But that will obviously be a lot more impressive once it actually gets going.

Everything you need to know about today’s launch

Monday 17 April 2023 09:11 , Andrew Griffin

... and here’s everything you need to know about the launch: what will happen, what won’t, when, and more.

How to watch live

Monday 17 April 2023 09:09 , Andrew Griffin

Here’s everything you need to know about following the historic launch, live.