Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship launches but explodes minutes later

The biggest and most powerful rocket ever built – that was the boast from SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, a man who has never knowingly undersold himself.

All eyes were on Texas as the vast starship took off but then exploded minutes later.

Musk congratulated his team and called the take off a triumph despite the ensuing ball of fire.

SpaceX also sparked social media ridicule by explaining away the explosion as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”.