Elon Musk's latest SpaceX prototype rocket spectacularly exploded after successfully touching down after a test flight in Boca Chica, Texas.
The rocket managed to successfully right itself and land after the flight, but then after about 10 minutes on the landing pad it dramatically blew-up, sending the rocket back into the air as it spun and smashed back into the concrete in a ball of flames.
The SN10 was launched shortly before 6.15 pm ET, fuelled by three cryogenic liquid and methane and liquid oxygen-powered Raptor engines.
According to Musk, it costs SpaceX just under $1 million (£717,000)to build a single-engine.
The rocket managed an altitude of about 10km before its engines began shutting down one by one to initiate its descent back to the landing pad, using its four wings to roll into a belly-flop position to complete its soft landing.
Aside from the explosion, the landing ultimately appeared to be a triumphant milestone for SpaceX and has been widely celebrated by the aerospace community, especially after both of SpaceX's previous prototypes, the SN8 and SN9, exploded on landing for various reasons.
Musk appeared to laugh off the explosion after the incident in an optimistic Tweet on Wednesday (March 3) evening.
“Starship SN10 landed in one piece!” the SpaceX CEO wrote.
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Keyword: Kaboom! Tesla boss Elon Musk suffers another rocket malfunction as SpaceX N10 goes up in flames in Texas