Amid wild cheers and applause, SpaceX's giant Starship rocket successfully lifted off around 8:03 a.m. ET from its launch pad in Texas. The Starship successfully separated from its first-stage booster as planned. But minutes later, the cheers subsided as mission control appeared to lose contact with the vehicle. SpaceX said it believes that Starship's self-destruct system activated, presumably because of a problem on board.
This was the SpaceX's second attempt to launch the largest rocket the world has ever seen. The stainless-steel monster stands nearly 400 feet tall. Its massive first stage, known only as "Super Heavy," is powered by 33 Raptor engines that must fire in perfect synchrony to carry Starship into orbit.
