The Starship was destroyed during its seventh test launch.

"During the flight, there was a rapid, unplanned separation of the spacecraft into parts," – stated SpaceX in a message.

According to preliminary data, the cause of the crash was a fuel leak, later wrote SpaceX owner Elon Musk. "The flight of the spacecraft was successful for 1/4," – he declared.

The debris from the spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere and flew through the sky over the United States and the Caribbean islands, significantly deviating from the planned trajectory.

The spacecraft was supposed to deliver a test payload into space, but communication with it was lost 8.5 minutes after launch, and it subsequently disintegrated. Meanwhile, the first stage of the "Super Heavy" rocket, which launched the spacecraft, successfully returned and was captured by a robotic arm.

"Starship" is a reusable two-stage system consisting of the spacecraft of the same name and the "Super Heavy" launch vehicle. SpaceX hopes that the spacecraft will be able to deliver payloads of up to 150 tons to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars. The next test launch is scheduled for February.