A previous experimental launch of SpaceX Starship spacecraft

Elon Musk's first Starship launch faced a massive blow during the first integrated flight test when the vehicle exploded with the super-heavy booster still attached to the Starship spacecraft. The commentators said that the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly which in other words means a blow up of the rocket.

The vehicle was seen flipping uncontrollably multiple times with the super-heavy booster attached and at around T+ 4:01 minutes the vehicle exploded into a spectacular fireball.

However, failures of this kind are quite common during developmental flights across space agencies around the world, especially when such a hi-tech, super-heavy and highly complex launch vehicle is involved.

What was disconcerting however was to see SpaceX employees cheering loudly (at T+ 4:04 mins) when the rocket exploded. Moreover, the commentators were also seen with fake grins to announce the failure of the mission. They were visibly moved but didn't show it during the telecast of the mission. 

Siva Bhardwaj a space operations expert of Indian Origin was one among of the 3 commentators in the panel.

Elon Musk was present at the mission control centre which is called as Star Base by SpaceX at the launch site.

About Starship

Starship is a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon and travel to Mars and beyond. With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.

To date, the SpaceX team has completed multiple sub-orbital flight tests of Starship’s upper stage from StarBase, successfully demonstrating an unprecedented approach to controlled flight. These flight tests helped validate the vehicle’s design, proving Starship can fly through the subsonic phase of entry before re-lighting its engines and flipping itself to a vertical configuration for landing.

In addition to the testing of Starship’s upper stage, the team has conducted numerous tests of the Super Heavy rocket, which include the increasingly complex static fires that led to a full-duration 31 Raptor engine test – the largest number of simultaneous rocket engine ignitions in history. The team has also constructed the world’s tallest rocket launch and catch tower. At 146 meters, or nearly 500 feet tall, the launch and catch tower is designed to support vehicle integration, launch, and catch of the Super Heavy rocket booster. For the first flight test, the team will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of the Super Heavy booster.