SpaceX conducts second test launch of Starship rocket and spacecraft system

The two-stage rocket was launched from SpaceX’s Starbase in the Gulf of Mexico, near Boca Chica, Texas, on a planned 90-minute unmanned flight into low Earth orbit. The primary goal of the test was to separate the spacecraft from the booster and launch it into space. The test marks a major step forward in SpaceX’s ambition to build a large, multi-purpose rocket capable of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon and Mars.

However, in SpaceX's live video streaming online, the company said it had lost contact with Starship's boosters.

During a test in April, Starship encountered some problems minutes after leaving the launch pad and SpaceX was forced to order the destruction of this 120m-tall vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship consists of a 50m-tall spacecraft designed to carry astronauts and cargo, mounted on a 70m-tall Super Heavy rocket. Starship is capable of generating nearly 8,000 tons of thrust, which is twice the thrust of the Space Launch System (SLS) developed by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the lunar mission. When fully assembled on the launch pad, the Starship complex is 120m tall, taller than the Saturn V (110m) - the only rocket ever to carry humans beyond Earth orbit.