THIS is the shocking moment SpaceX’s Starship exploded in the Pacific Ocean after losing one of its three main engines.
Footage shows ‘s rocket launching into orbit before coming back down to and bursting into a fireball near Chile.
The aerospace manufacturer shared video of the final moments – and its splashdown – but cut it just before the blast.
“Splashdown confirmed,” it said. “Congratulations to the team on the first orbital flight of Starship!”
It was the spacecraft’s 14th flight – seen as a major test for the billionaire’s hopes to take tens of thousands of people to the Moon and Mars over the next five years.
Earlier test flights ventured no farther than the Indian Ocean, crashing in flames and briefly skimming space.
Starship launched from Texas’ southern tip, with applause breaking out on the livestream.
But the mission was hit by a number of tech issues.
The plan was for it to circle the globe not just once but six times over 10 hours, ending with a Pacific splashdown near Chile.
The 407-foot rocket just about managed the proper orbit, zipping along at 17,500 mph.
After a couple of laps, flight controllers chose to bring it back seven hours sooner.
SpaceX wants to ensure that everything works before flying Starship back to Starbase in Texas.
Musk warned earlier this year that if the spacecraft breaks apart over land and rains debris onto people, “our popularity would diminish very rapidly.”
“That’s why we’re being extremely cautious here,” he added.
Depending on the findings from today’s orbital debut, the next Starship could return to the launch pad with giant mechanical arms grabbing the hovering spacecraft.
Once in orbit, Starship deployed 26 next-generation Starlink satellites one by one.
Musk wrote on X: “All 26 Starlink V3 operational satellites deployed and operating nominally.”
He originally developed Starship to populate Mars with humans.
For now, he plans to focus on the Moon and use it to bring satellites into orbit by the truckload, phasing out the company’s frailer Falcon 9 rocket within several years.
A second Starship launch site is nearing completion at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center and a third is planned for Louisiana.
