Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built and is key to Musk’s ambitions to colonize Mars.
Thursday’s uncrewed launch was Starship’s seventh test mission and the first involving a more advanced version of the rocket.
The Starship’s upper stage, two meters (6.56 feet) taller than previous versions, was a “next-generation ship with significant upgrades,” SpaceX said before the test.
It was scheduled to make a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch from Boca Chico, Texas.
