SpaceX Starship launches on 2nd integrated test flight, booster explodes after separation

SpaceX Starship 25 and Super Heavy booster 9 launched to orbit on Nov. 18, 2023 from the Starbase facility in South Texas. Following the launch, the booster had a Rapid Unplanned Disassembly (RUD) shortly after separation. Full Story: Starship consists of a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known (a bit confusingly) as Starship. Both of these elements are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable. SpaceX thinks the vehicle will make the settlement of Mars — a long-held dream of company founder and CEO Elon Musk — economically feasible in the not-too-distant future. When fully stacked, Starship stands nearly 400 feet (122 meters) tall. It’s the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. Broadcast Courtesy: SpaceX