SpaceX 's ninth Starship test flight ended abruptly on Tuesday when the rocket experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" — the company's favourite euphemism for "exploded." It's the third Starship test flight in a row to end in fiery failure, Elon Musk 's space company having had a poor run as of late.

SpaceX's prototype Starship exploded over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, capping another bumpy test flight for the rocket central to billionaire Elon Musk's dream of colonizing Mars.

Elon Musk on Tuesday postponed by a few hours an expected update on SpaceX's plan to launch missions to Mars, saying it will take place after a Starship test flight scheduled for later in the day. He did not give a reason.