SpaceX didn’t want to blow up its launchpad. It may have done just that.

Videos shared on social media showed debris slamming into a van several hundred feet away and striking the nearby beach and the shoreline as if they were a war zone.

By Christian DavenportApril 22, 2023

Why SpaceX’s Starship explosion is a low-key success

The sheer scale of Starship, which is deemed the world’s most powerful rocket, and its successful liftoff is a feat in itself.

By Anumita KaurApril 20, 2023

In photos: The scene as the unmanned Space X Starship explodes

SpaceX’s Starship lifted off the pad in Southern Texas and cleared the launchpad, its first milestone, but then began tumbling as it was preparing for stage separation and the vehicle came apart some four minutes into flight.

By Washington Post StaffApril 20, 2023

Four minutes till failure: Watch SpaceX’s Starship come apart in flight

On Thursday, SpaceX’s Starship was about four minutes into flight when it exploded. See what we know happened so far.

By Adriana Usero and Christian DavenportApril 20, 2023

SpaceX’s Starship lifts off successfully, but explodes in first flight

Still, it was widely hailed as a success, with congratulations coming from NASA.

By Christian DavenportApril 20, 2023

See the tests of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes that ended in fireballs

Elon Musk's SpaceX is expected to attempt to launch its fully stacked Starship as soon as this week. Take a look back at the rocket's test flights.

By Christian Davenport and Jonathan Baran April 20, 2023

Unmanned Starship explodes over gulf after liftoff

The first effort was stopped moments before blast off by a frozen valve.

By Christian DavenportApril 20, 2023

Mysterious spiral over Alaska probably a result of SpaceX launch

Researchers say the event was probably caused by excess fuel released during the launch.

By Kasha PatelApril 19, 2023

Despite bankruptcy, Virgin Orbit CEO says company will launch again

After filing for Chapter 11, the company founded by Richard Branson is looking for a suitor to rescue it.

By Christian DavenportApril 19, 2023

A retired satellite is plummeting to Earth. But don’t panic, NASA says.

NASA expects the 660-pound RHESSI satellite, which once observed the sun, to plunge through the atmosphere on Wednesday night and fall to Earth.

By Ellen FrancisApril 19, 2023

SpaceX will try again to launch Starship on Thursday

A valve on the rocket’s first stage apparently froze, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, leading to a pressurization issue.

By Christian DavenportApril 17, 2023

SpaceX scrubs Starship test launch after valve freezes

The scrub was announced minutes before the launch of what would be the world's most powerful rocket.

By Christian DavenportApril 17, 2023

SpaceX’s launch of Starship could remake space exploration

Powered by a staggering 33 first-stage engines, Starship and its booster are expected to have nearly twice the thrust of NASA's SLS moon rocket.

By Christian DavenportApril 16, 2023

Inside the rockets that NASA and SpaceX plan to send to the moon

In the way they are manufactured, financed and designed to work, NASA’s SLS and SpaceX’s Starship represent two very different approaches.

By William Neff, Aaron Steckelberg and Christian DavenportApril 15, 2023

FAA grants SpaceX a license to launch its Starship rocket

The license paves the way for a maiden flight for the vehicle that could come as soon as Monday.

By Christian DavenportApril 14, 2023

See the sharpest image yet of a supermassive black hole

The image can help theorists better understand the physics of black holes, while the technology used to create it can be applied to other types of research.

By Joel AchenbachApril 13, 2023

How NASA’s astronauts learned they’d been assigned to the moon mission

None of the astronauts selected for the first mission to the vicinity of the moon in five decades were on time for what is probably the biggest assignment of their astronaut careers.

By Christian DavenportApril 3, 2023

NASA names crew for first human moon mission since Apollo

The astronauts will fly around the moon in a mission that would precede the first human landing there since 1972.

By Christian DavenportApril 3, 2023

Virgin Orbit to lay off 85 percent of staff, freeze operations

The rocket company failed to secure enough money from investors to continue funding its operations at the current level.

By Aaron GreggMarch 31, 2023

Virginia Norwood, pioneered Earth imagery as ‘Mother of Landsat,’ dies at 96

A male colleague once quit rather than work under Ms. Norwood's leadership. When he asked to return, she turned him down.

By Brian MurphyMarch 30, 2023