SpaceX's Starship explodes in flight test, forcing airlines to divert

Bill NelsonnASA Administrator

Spaceflight is not easy."

NASA's outgoing chief Bill Nelson meanwhile offered his congratulations to SpaceX for the booster catch, adding

The FAA is assessing the operation,

it said in a statement

Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month,

he said

It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,

said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot

It was incredible to see it come back down, just that silver flare in the sky, and we can still see the launch plume behind us,

said Katie Tice, a SpaceX launch host

Elon Muskchief executive officer

Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed

Musk posted on X

Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause,

said SpaceX

At this point in time, we can confirm we did lose the ship, ... We always knew that excitement is guaranteed today, success not guaranteed."

SpaceX's Kate Tice said during a webcast of the operation, adding

Elon Muskchief executive officer

Every Starship launch is one more step closer towards Mars,

Musk said via X ahead of liftoff