SpaceX’s colossal Starship rocket blasted off Thursday on its most complex test flight yet, with Elon Musk looking to repeat a booster capture with giant mechanical arms and adding a new twist. The 400-foot (123-meter) rocket soared from the southern tip of Texas,

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight Thursday, catching the booster back at the pad but losing contact with the ascending spacecraft as engines went out. The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights.

A SpaceX Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk's flagship rocket program.