SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that the Starship rocket would depart for Mars at the end of 2026. The spacecraft will also carry Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus onboard, as a precursor to human landings.

Several engines on the SpaceX starship are reported to have shut down, which led to the spacecraft spinning uncontrollably and finally ending in an explosion.

SpaceX has blown up another Starship mega rocket on a test flight. Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart.