‘Occupy Mars’ mission fails: SpaceX Starship explodes mid-flight over Indian Ocean

SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended in failure as the spacecraft exploded mid-flight over the Indian Ocean. Launched from the Starbase facility in Texas, this was the ninth Starship mission and the first attempt to reuse a Super Heavy booster, a key part of Elon Musk’s Mars colonisation plan. Despite the crash, engineers say valuable lessons will guide future deep-space missions. Issues included booster splashdown failure, payload door malfunction, and loss of control before disintegration.