A SpaceX test flight of its Starship rocket, the largest ever built, faced a setback when an attempt to catch its reusable booster with mechanical arms failed.
Despite the booster successfully separating and entering a controlled descent, flight directors diverted it to land offshore, where it exploded on impact.
The test, observed by President-elect Donald Trump in Texas, aimed to replicate a breakthrough achieved last month, when SpaceX caught the booster on its launch pad.
While the upper stage completed an orbital journey before crashing into the Indian Ocean, the booster’s failure marked a disappointment for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Starship remains key to US lunar plans and Musk’s vision of Mars colonization, with manned Moon missions expected by 2026.