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

A video shows the explosion of Elon Musk’s Starship rocket as it blows up right after take off from its launch site

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes shortly after launch

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?

[17 April 2023 09:29 · Andrew Griffin]

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

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.

[17 April 2023 09:18 · Andrew Griffin]

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

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.

[17 April 2023 09:11 · Andrew Griffin]

Everything you need to know about today’s launch

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

[17 April 2023 09:09 · Andrew Griffin]

How to watch live

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