SpaceX's uncrewed Starship explodes on launch attempt

By Jackie Wattles and Adrienne Vogt, CNN

Updated 5:00 p.m. ET, April 20, 2023
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10:11 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

Musk: SpaceX "learned a lot for next test launch"

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted after the uncrewed rocket Starship launched and then exploded midair a few minutes later.

He congratulated the company and said the team "learned a lot" in preparation for its next test launch, which he said will happen in a few months.

Some context: SpaceX will need a new launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration to make another attempt, but they do not expect the process to be as laborious as securing the license for this launch.

12:53 p.m. ET, April 20, 2023

SpaceX after test flight explosion: "Success comes from what we learn"

The SpaceX Starship maneuvers for a second stage separation before exploding on April 20.
The SpaceX Starship maneuvers for a second stage separation before exploding on April 20. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, took off from a launch pad on the coast of South Texas on Thursday morning.

The uncrewed rocket exploded midair shortly after liftoff — but SpaceX is still celebrating the test.

"With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary," SpaceX said in a tweet.

Remember: It’s common for first-time launches to be delayed as engineers hash out issues that might not have become apparent during prior testing.

NASA’s SLS rocket, for example, underwent four tries to complete a wet dress rehearsal and two launch attempts before the vehicle finally took off in November 2022.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX in a tweet on Thursday, adding that "every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk."

12:51 p.m. ET, April 20, 2023

Uncrewed Starship explodes on first launch attempt

The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for the flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20.
The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for the flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

After liftoff, SpaceX's Starship exploded in midair on first launch attempt. The most powerful rocket ever constructed is uncrewed.

"Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unplanned disassembly," an official said on the broadcast.

Some context: SpaceX is known to embrace fiery mishaps during the rocket development process. The company maintains that such accidents are the quickest and most efficient way of gathering data, an approach that sets the company apart from its close partner NASA, which prefers slow, methodical testing over dramatic flareups.

9:54 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

Liftoff! Starship takes flight 

SpaceX's Starship lifts off for the uncrewed test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20.
SpaceX's Starship lifts off for the uncrewed test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20. (Go Nakamura/Reuters)

The countdown clock struck zero and the Super Heavy booster ignited its 33 engines and roared to life, sending a deafening boom across the launch site.  

A brief countdown hold immediately beforehand was for final launch checkouts that included a couple of minor issues, which were quickly resolved.

9:32 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

Clock is paused at 40 seconds

The flight director has called a hold, and the clock has been paused at T-40 seconds, according to SpaceX.

9:24 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

Rocket is nearly filled as propellant loading continues, SpaceX says

Spectator wait for the launch of the SpaceX Starship in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday, April 20.
Spectator wait for the launch of the SpaceX Starship in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday, April 20. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

The rocket is 85% filled as propellant loading continues, according to SpaceX's livestream.

The engine chill is underway, SpaceX says, and no boats are in the restricted area.

Winds are "looking good" for launch and the company is not troubleshooting any issues, it said a few minutes ago.

9:19 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

How the local community has reacted to SpaceX's presence

From CNN's Jackie Wattles

A mural of SpaceX founder Elon Musk at The Broken Sprocket food truck park and bar in Brownsville, Texas, in February 2022.
A mural of SpaceX founder Elon Musk at The Broken Sprocket food truck park and bar in Brownsville, Texas, in February 2022. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

SpaceX hasn't received a warm welcome from everybody in the Brownsville area.

Those with homes close to the launch site saw their once remote beach community overrun by SpaceX employees and rocket construction. The company has now purchased the vast majority of the homes in the area once called Boca Chica Village.

When the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, was carrying out an environmental assessment, a public comment period aired the voices of many local residents strongly opposed to the idea, as well as some fervent supporters who weren’t necessarily from the area.

Overall, however, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño told CNN that he views SpaceX as a massive boon to the area.

CEO Elon Musk pledged to donate around $10 million to an effort to revitalize downtown Brownsville. Treviño said he couldn't confirm if the full amount had been donated, but he said Musk money has already gone to some key projects, including replacing street lamps. Musk also invested about $20 million in local schools.

SpaceX has also drawn tourism to the area, Treviño said, as evidenced by the massive turnout of spectators Thursday.

"This is the type of generational change that can impact the community for a long, long time," Treviño added. "And for a community such as ours, that's been economically distressed — unfortunately, one of the poorest areas in the country — the investment, the commitment to the community has been a very positive economic development."

9:00 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

Elon Musk and 4/20, a history

From CNN's Jackie Wattles

Elon Musk walks on stage during SpaceX event in Boca Chica Beach, Texas on August 25, 2022.
Elon Musk walks on stage during SpaceX event in Boca Chica Beach, Texas on August 25, 2022. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)

From smoking weed on a podcast to entering a battle with federal regulators over a weed joke, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has long had a penchant for embracing the numerical reference to marijuana.

Last week, he even strongly hinted that SpaceX's first launch attempt on Monday might be delayed so that the company could target a 4/20 liftoff.

Rumors also swirled on Tuesday about whether SpaceX could hit that target. At one point, the Federal Aviation Administration took down an air traffic warning for Thursday, sparking speculation that the favored launch date was off the table. It was ultimately reinstated.

Musk fueled that fire with his own tweet:

8:52 a.m. ET, April 20, 2023

How you can watch this launch

From CNN's Jackie Wattles

People wait before SpaceX's Starship spacecraft launch in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday, April 20.
People wait before SpaceX's Starship spacecraft launch in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday, April 20. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

SpaceX has a livestream of the Starship launch here.

Folks on the ground near SpaceX's facilities in South Texas can certainly catch an in-person glimpse. Locals are known to line the surrounding beaches in South Padre Island to watch tests, and this launch is sure to draw spectators.

SpaceX has repeatedly warned those in the area, however, to stay away from the "Keepout Zone" — the areas directly surrounding the launch site that have been deemed too close to the rocket to be safe during launch.

The "Keepout Zone" includes the coastline south of South Padre Island and stretches a few miles inland.

SpaceX also issued this warning:

"Those in Cameron County and nearby areas may hear a loud noise resulting from the rocket's 33 Raptor engines firing up upon ignition and as the vehicle launches toward space, but what individuals experience will depend on weather and other conditions."

For those around the world hoping to catch views of the rocket in flight — that may not be possible.

Dr. Marco Langbroek, a lecturer at the Department of Astrodynamics and Space Missions of Delft Technical University in the Netherlands, mapped out the rocket's trajectory and predicts it will fly through too much daylight or the shadow in Earth's atmosphere to be visible from the ground.

But, folks in Hawaii should be able to see the Starship spacecraft as it plunges back into Earth's atmosphere after the flight. The reentry process is known to cause spacecraft to light up as the intense speeds and pressure on the vehicle create a fiery blaze.