Elon Musk's SpaceX on Tuesday launched its ninth Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas, but the rocket tumbled out of control and broke apart shortly before its expected splashdown.
The explosion lead to fuel leaks, which caused the rocket to begin spinning uncontrollably.
SpaceX said its flight team had lost attitude control as the vehicle continued its atmospheric re-entry.
Musk noted in a post on X it was a "big improvement" from the two previous demos, which ended in flaming debris over the Atlantic.
The latest development comes just months after the eighth test of the Starship rocket, which saw a partial success. That mission included the successful "catch" of the Super Heavy booster using SpaceX's mechanical "chopsticks" arms.
However, less than ten minutes into that flight, Starship lost altitude control after several engines failed just before the end of the ascent burn.
The spacecraft, launched from SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in Texas, eventually broke apart, with flaming debris seen in the skies over the Atlantic Ocean.
Social media users in Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas captured videos of the dramatic re-entry.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later reported that space launch debris led to temporary flight disruptions at several Florida airports.
Starship 8 lost contact with SpaceX before it could deploy its test satellites, originally scheduled at the 17-minute mark.
Despite earlier setbacks, SpaceX continues to refine Starship's capabilities, aiming for regular launches every 3-4 weeks as part of its broader ambitions for space exploration.
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