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
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
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Moment SpaceX halts Starship rocket launch minutes before anticipated lift-off
Starship ‘on track to launch’ says Elon Musk
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
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
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
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.
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.
One hour until launch window opens
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
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
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?
... you can find out all that and more in this article: everything you need to know about today’s launch.
Preparations begin for next launch
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.
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