On Thursday, SpaceX, the aerospace company owned by Elon Musk, experienced a setback during its latest test flight of the Starship rocket, losing the second stage of the vehicle shortly after launch.

This incident echoes a similar failure earlier in the year.

Despite the loss of the second stage, the company successfully managed to recover the first stage, marking a significant achievement in their reusability efforts.

SpaceX's CEO, Dan Huot, expressed disappointment during a live broadcast stating, "We lost contact with the vehicle," and added somewhat sarcastically that they had faced similar challenges in the past, noting, "So we have some experience in this area." Huot confirmed that the company is working in close cooperation with air traffic control authorities during the test.

In response to the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it had temporarily suspended some launch activities and slowed down aircraft in the vicinity to prevent any possible collisions with debris from the failed launch.

The agency has also directed SpaceX to conduct an investigation into the latest incident, similar to the inquiry prompted by an earlier mishap in January.

According to the company's statement, shortly after liftoff, the Starship experienced a "rapid unplanned disassembly," which resulted in an explosion.

The company reported that prior to the vehicle's ascent being completed, an energy-related event at the rear of the Starship caused the loss of several Raptor engines.

This led to a loss of control and ultimately a disconnection from the rocket.

The last communication with the Starship occurred approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds post-launch.

During a previous test in mid-January, the rocket had exploded just minutes into its flight, scattering burning debris across the Caribbean and causing minor damage to the Turks and Caicos Islands, located over 2,500 kilometers from the launch site.

Recently released videos depicted bright trails in the sky above the Bahamas during the latest test.

The Starship rocket stands at 123 meters tall, roughly the height of a 40-story building, and is being developed by SpaceX for missions to the Moon and Mars.

The latest test launch occurred from Boca Chica in Texas at approximately 5:30 PM local time (23:30 UTC).

Shortly after launch and the separation of the rocket's stages, the booster stage, known as Super Heavy, performed a controlled descent towards the launch platform and was successfully secured by mechanical arms attached to the launch tower.

This maneuver was successfully executed for the third time, sparking applause and joy among the teams involved.

Kate Tice, a SpaceX employee, expressed excitement about witnessing the controlled landing.

However, shortly thereafter, it became apparent that the vehicle was spinning uncontrollably.

SpaceX subsequently acknowledged the loss of control, raising concerns among team members present at the launch site.

Ultimately, Elon Musk aims to recover both stages of the Starship for reusability after each flight, a strategy intended to enhance launch frequency and significantly reduce costs for SpaceX.

The recent explosions are part of SpaceX's rapid development process for its rockets, which relies on iterative testing of prototype models to quickly identify and rectify issues encountered during flight.

While this approach has facilitated SpaceX’s dominance in the satellite launch market, it has not been without controversy.

Several advocacy groups have filed lawsuits against U.S. authorities, alleging inadequate environmental assessments concerning the rocket launches, particularly as the Texas launch site is situated near protected coastal areas.

Concurrently, Elon Musk's close ties with former President Donald Trump have raised concerns regarding potential interference in regulatory decisions.

Under President Joe Biden's administration, Musk has publicly criticized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) multiple times for what he perceives as excessive regulatory oversight over SpaceX.

Reports have also indicated that a SpaceX engineer visited the FAA headquarters two weeks ago, urging teams within the company to expedite a program for deploying thousands of Starlink satellites, with threats of job losses looming over their initiatives.

SpaceX has since denied these claims, asserting on X, the platform founded by Musk, that recent articles discussing the company and the FAA are inaccurate.