(NEWSnet/AP) — SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship on Saturday, but lost the booster, then the spacecraft, minutes into the test flight.

The booster had sent the rocket ship toward space, but communication was lost eight minutes after liftoff from South Texas and SpaceX declared the vehicle had failed.

Trouble came as the ship’s engines were almost done firing to put it on an around-the-world path. Minutes earlier, the booster exploded, but not until its job was done, putting the ship on course toward space.

SpaceX aimed for an altitude of 150 miles, high enough to send the bullet-shaped spacecraft around the globe before ditching into the Pacific near Hawaii about 1-1/2 hours after liftoff, short of a full orbit.

The first test flight in April ended in an explosion soon after liftoff. Since then, Elon Musk’s company has made dozens of adjustments to the booster, its 33 engines and the launch pad.

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