Four minutes after blasting off in an explosive end to its first SpaceX launch, Elon Musk’s Starship rocket has blown up.  

“The 390ft rocket, which has been picked by NASA for its return to the lunar surface, took off shortly after 2.33pm.

Starship was supposed to blast 150 miles into the atmosphere, before cruising for around an hour and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. However, the mission ended early after the separation of the first and second stages of the rocket appeared to fail. The rocket reached a height of around 25 miles above the earth, before entering a spin and self-destructing after its “automated flight termination” system activated.”