Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket blows up in mid air

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The rocket is said to have seperated from its main booster rocket just seven months after the first flight also ended with an explosive disaster.

The test flight of the SpaceX craft took off shortly after 1pm UK time today (Saturday November 18).

The uncrewed flight is strapped to a booster twice as powerful as the rockets which fly men to the moon. But after just eight minutes of flying, mission control lost all contact with the spacecraft as it approached the Earth's atmosphere.

Video footage which was live streamed on X showed an explosion as the rocket was 91 miles above Earth.

SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, said: "We have lost the data from the second stage. We might have lost the second stage."

Insprucker added that the rocket may have blown itself up as a precaution. He said: "What we do believe right now is that the Automated Flight Termination System on the second stage appears to have triggered very late in the burn."

Of course, two self-destructing rockets in a row is not the news Elon would've been hoping for, but this business is all about continuing to move forward despite whatever drawbacks you face.

It's all about learning and marching on - however Musk's dream of one day visiting Mars sure seems like a long way away now.