SpaceX rocket explodes on impact, Elon Musk claims success

The rocket exploded as it landed.

SpaceX's latest rocket launch has ended in a massive explosion, but Elon Musk is claiming that the fiery launch all went to plan.

The launch of the Starship prototype was designed to get the rocket to 12.5km into the sky and then bring it back in a vertical landing.

Eventually, Elon Musk hopes that the Starship will take people to Mars.

Today, the rocket completed a "landing flip manoeuvre" and exploded in a massive fireball.

ELON CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND THE STARSHIP AND SPACEX TEAM. I CANT DESCRIBE HOW EXCITING THAT WAS. I AM SPEECHLESS. Thank you for igniting the love of space travel and rocket engineering for me and so many others. ❤️🚀💫 pic.twitter.com/4jgDUJWeiV

— jordan🚀 (@AstroJordy) December 9, 2020

NEW: Unmanned SpaceX Starship test flight explodes during landing. There was no one on board the ship. https://t.co/tagzR9e9CJ pic.twitter.com/mvdZvvD2dD

— ABC News (@ABC) December 9, 2020

Musk was elated, tweeting "Mars, here we come!!"

The explosion comes after first high-altitude test flight of the futuristic Starship earlier this week was aborted at the last second.

An automatic engine abort occurred with just 1.3 seconds remaining in the countdown.

SpaceX already has conducted five Starship test flights, but these earlier, simpler models have gone no higher than 150 metres.

SpaceX has taken over Boca Chica in the far southeastern corner of Texas, near the Mexican border, to build and test its Starships. The company intends to use Starships — the upper stage atop Super Heavy boosters — to deliver massive satellites into orbit around Earth, and send people and cargo to the moon and Mars.

Additional reporting, AP