SpaceX's Starship rocket had its inaugural test flight on Thursday from a launch pad in South Texas.
The rocket is the most powerful ever built.
However, the rocket exploded midair before stage separation.
The Super Heavy rocket booster lifted off with 33 engines, causing a massive boom.
The Starship spacecraft soared out over the Gulf of Mexico.
The Super Heavy rocket booster was scheduled to separate from the Starship spacecraft about two and a half minutes after takeoff.
The Starship was supposed to propel itself to nearly orbital speeds using its own engines for over six minutes.
The flight reached its highest point of 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) above the ground.
The explosion occurred about four minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX will review data and work towards the next flight test.