SpaceX’s Starship destroyed on return to Earth at end of third test flight

Spacecraft's cruise vessel flew around globe for first time, but lost contact in final stages before planned splashdown

SpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, was destroyed during its return to Earth after nearly completing its third test flight.

The 120-metre system, which weighs about 5,000 tonnes when fully fuelled, took off from SpaceX's spaceport, named Starbase, on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX aims to use the spacecraft to one day carry astronauts to the moon and Mars.