SpaceX Starship rocket explodes in dramatic fireball after ‘major anomaly’

A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas exploded on Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.

The company said the Starship "experienced a major anomaly" while on the test stand preparing for the tenth flight test at Starbase, SpaceX's launch site at the southern tip of Texas.

Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made, and SpaceX hopes that it will eventually carry humans to the Moon and Mars. But first it must conduct a series of uncrewed tests – the latest of which was expected to happen as soon as this month.