TEHRAN, Dec. 10 (MNA) – SpaceX’s Starship rocket prototype exploded in flames as it made a vertical landing on Wednesday, minutes after what seemed to be an uneventful test launch from the company’s testing site on the coast of Texas.

The Starship rocket destroyed was the prototype for a heavy-lift launch vehicle that Elon Musk’s private space company hopes will carry people – and cargo – on future missions to the Moon and Mars.