The upper stage of SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch from Texas on Thursday, leading the aerospace company to declare the vessel a "loss" in the seventh test flight of the heavy-lift spacecraft.

SpaceX’s seventh Starship test flight encountered unexpected challenges when communication with the ship was lost approximately 8.5 minutes into the flight. The test, initially set to last an hour, was abruptly cut short due to the unforeseen communication breakdown.

The Starship rocket from SpaceX suffered an unexpected failure when it exploded merely minutes into its seventh trial flight, marking a surprising reversal of fortunes for the company led by Elon Musk, which had been consistently making headway in enhancing the rocket's capabilities.