Elon Musk has reacted after a SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after it was launched from Texas on Thursday.

“Rockets are hard,” the SpaceX founder wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The explosion was the second consecutive failed attempt by SpaceX to deploy mock satellites into space.

Newsweek has contacted SpaceX for comment.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday. SpaceX’s Starship rocket lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday. Eric Gay/AP

What to Know

Starship, the world’s biggest rocket, exploded minutes after it took off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday.

According to SpaceX, Starship’s huge first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, successfully deployed 33 Raptor engines upon takeoff and propelled the rocket through its first-stage ascent.

Starship then lit its six engines and separated from the Super Heavy booster to continue its ascent to space.

While Super Heavy was able return itself to the launch site, an “energetic event” saw Starship lose several of its engines, according to SpaceX. This resulted in a loss of attitude control and communication.

Final contact with Starship came approximately nine minutes and 30 seconds after takeoff.

SpaceX said the rocket experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” before contact was lost.

Debris from the rocket was seen falling from the skies in Florida and the Caribbean.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activated a Debris Response Area and slowed down aircraft in affected areas as the debris was falling.

Flights from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Miami International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport were delayed for around 30 to 45 minutes on Thursday as a result of the debris.

The incident marks the second consecutive failure this year for Musk’s Mars rocket program.

The Starship rocket also failed minutes after launching from SpaceX’s Texas facility in January, with falling debris causing damage to properties on the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean.

This is a breaking story. More to follow.