SpaceX's SN10 Starship prototype reached an altitude of about 6 miles and landed back upright for the first time, but then exploded 8 minutes after the touchdown in their latest test flight on Wednesday. Two previous Starship prototypes, the SN8 and SN9, exploded during their landing attempts following high-altitude flight tests that took place in December and early February.
The SN10 reached the desired altitude of 6.2 miles, performed a "belly flop" in its descent to put itself into a vertical position just in time to ace the landing at the SpaceX test site in Boca Chica, Texas. A fire at the base of the rocket caused an explosion sending the SN10 for a second (accidental) launch before it slammed into the ground.
Zoom Out: SpaceX is already building more Starship prototypes for further flight tests. The Starship will initially transport payloads to low-Earth orbit. However, the company plans to build hundreds of Starships per year to send people to Mars.
