Starship 's two stages separated as planned on Flight 9, and the upper stage even reached space, which was an improvement over the giant vehicle's most recent two flights. But SpaceX ended up losing both stages before they could accomplish their full flight goals.

After launch, an apparent propellant leak entered its suborbital trajectory left Starship spinning and mission control unable to control the craft.

SpaceX has faced criticism for its previous Starship test failures. Its executives insist that building fast, destroying expensive hardware, and learning quickly from mistakes are all part of the company's philosophy — in stark contrast with NASA 's much slower approach.

Get live updates on the Starship rocket launch from SpaceX's Starbase headquarters in Texas. See what time it launches, where to watch and news on Musk's company.

SpaceX's latest test flight was a failure. The company has seen mixed results after more than two years of launching test flights.

Much was riding on Flight 9 for Elon Musk’s giant moon and Mars rocket after debris from January and March flights fell into the Atlantic Ocean, disrupting air travel.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tells "CBS Sunday Morning" that the company has about a 50 percent chance of launching an uncrewed Starship to Mars at the end of 2026. Watch more of his interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" on Sunday,

SpaceX’s colossal Starship rocket suffered a leak, tumbled out of control in space and disintegrated as it hurtled back to Earth during a test flight on Tuesday, in a third setback in a row for the Elon Musk-led company.