SpaceX catches Starship booster again, but upper stage explodes

In this screen grab taken from the SpaceX broadcast the Starship's Super Heavy Booster returns to the launch pad at Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16, 2025.

Hours after Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin nailed its first-ever orbital mission, SpaceX seized back the spotlight on Thursday as its latest test of Starship, its gargantuan next-generation mega rocket, ended with the upper stage dramatically disintegrating over the Atlantic.