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Was SpaceX's first attempt to launch its Starship rocket a failure?

The huge Starship rocket made its first launch attempt on 20 April, but blew up shortly after – while the mission wasn’t a complete failure, it might be a while before we see it try to get to space again

By Leah Crane

13 May 2023

Starship is the biggest rocket ever to fly – and to blow up

SpaceX

The following is an extract from our monthly Launchpad newsletter, in which resident space expert Leah Crane journeys through the solar system, the galaxy and beyond. You can sign up for Launchpad for free here.

This month saw the first launch attempt of SpaceX’s enormous Starship rocket – the biggest and most powerful rocket ever to fly. But shortly after it lifted off on 20 April, it exploded. Not ideal, but certainly exciting!

There has been a lot …

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