"Excitement guaranteed", as SpaceX puts it - when it takes off then we either see at least some success or a big explosion.

 

44:00

 

"Excitement guaranteed", as SpaceX puts it - when it takes off then we either see at least some success or a big explosion.

... or both

 

... or both

That explosion (Self-Destruct) was underwhelming. They can do a lot better.

"We choose to go to the Moon …. and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."-John F. Kennedy.

 

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-test

Starship gave us quite a show during today’s first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas.
At 8:33 a.m. CT, Starship successfully lifted off from the orbital launch pad for the first time. The vehicle cleared the pad and beach as Starship climbed to an apogee of ~39 km over the Gulf of Mexico – the highest of any Starship to-date. The vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble. The flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship. As is standard procedure, the pad and surrounding area was cleared well in advance of the test, and we expect the road and beach near the pad to remain closed until tomorrow.
With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and we learned a tremendous amount about the vehicle and ground systems today that will help us improve on future flights of Starship.
Thank you to our customers, Cameron County, and the wider community for the continued support and encouragement. And congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting first flight test of Starship!

 

It was feared to be much the same when NASA launched the first Saturn V for the Apollo Missions. They had built a semi-underground bunker for flight control and VIP viewing just in case. Of course, that fear of failure was never made public but was in the minds of all NASA personnel that I've talked to over the years. 22 story tall rocket full of fuel...

 

 

 

That last picture could be showing us that some of the engines might have even fallen off, not simply failed to start...

 

Note: No Apollo Saturn rocket ever failed.

 

Final five minutes from the ending of the visually spectacular movie Koyaanisqatsi, 1982

 

Note: No Apollo Saturn rocket ever failed.

Yes, after a decade of experimentation and failures (US "outer space" rocketry got started in 1950, and the first successful US rocket being Explorer 1 before NASA existed was in '58 after Sputnik, and the first successful Saturn being launched in '61).

Edit: some of the earliest US rocket failures were quite spectacular

 

A little compilation of early Space Race failures.

 

How Historians Are Reckoning With the Former Nazi Who Launched America's Space Program

Here's the man himself

and this footage of him too, from a meeting at the Pentagon

 

Here's the FBI's research into von Braun, and their conclusions, if anyone cares.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded SpaceX’s Starship rockets on Thursday after one of them exploded minutes into lift off on its first test flight and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

The rocket, powered by 33 Raptor engines, tumbled and came apart about four minutes after the launch in Boca Chica, Texas. Starship had no people or satellites on board.


The rockets will remain grounded pending an FAA investigation to ensure “any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety,” as is standard practice, the FAA said in a statement.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/15/faa-clears-spacex-to-launch-second-starship-flight.html

The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch the second spaceflight attempt of its towering Starship rocket, the agency said Wednesday.

SpaceX posted on the social media platform X shortly after the greenlight that it was “targeting Friday, November 17 for Starship’s second flight test.”


A two-hour launch window will begin at 8 a.m. ET. SpaceX plans to livestream the Starship launch, with a webcast beginning about 30 minutes before lift off.

 

Lower stage RUD after it's job was done. Upper stage RUD later. Well Done!