On a test flight, Elon Musk's Starship catches fire.

SpaceX's Starship failed to reach orbit on Thursday, exploding just minutes after takeoff as it could not separate from the booster rocket. Elon Musk's space exploration company described the event as "a rapid unscheduled disassembly" but said the test resulted in valuable insights. The orbital test was originally scheduled for Monday, but had to be postponed due to a problem with one of the valves. The launch was rescheduled for Thursday morning from the company's test site at Boca Chica, Texas. The Super Heavy booster failed to separate from the Starship about four minutes into the flight, resulting in the explosion. SpaceX had urged caution prior to Monday's scheduled launch, saying this was a "fundamentally difficult thing" to do and that "success is not what should be expected." The Super Heavy, which has 33 rocket engines, successfully passed the stationary test in February, showing it can generate enough power to reach orbit. The US space agency hopes to use the Starship for the Artemis moon program in the coming years.