News > Faulty thruster fails SpaceX Starship prototype, rocket crashes upon landing

Faulty thruster fails SpaceX Starship prototype, rocket crashes upon landing

A SpaceX Starship prototype rocket exploded on landing after an otherwise successful high-altitude experimental launch from Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday, in a repeat of an accident that destroyed a previous test rocket.

The Starship SN9 that blew up on its final descent was a prototype for the heavy-lift rocket being developed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's private space company to carry humans and 100 tons (90,718 kg) of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.