SpaceX has released impressive close-up videos of the Starship engines igniting during its eighth flight test.

      SpaceX launched its formidable Starship rocket for the eighth time last week. The mission yielded mixed results, as the team successfully captured the first-stage Super Heavy booster upon its return to the launchpad, but the Starship spacecraft exploded midair shortly after stage separation. The company led by Elon Musk is now investigating the failure.

      Typically, SpaceX shares video clips that highlight key moments from each Starship test. On Sunday, they released impressive footage recorded from beneath the booster as it launched from SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The slow-motion video showcases the rocket’s 33 Raptor engines igniting as the massive 120-meter-tall vehicle lifts off.

      With the rocket producing a staggering 17 million pounds of thrust, it's remarkable that the camera capturing this footage remained intact. SpaceX has not disclosed how this was accomplished, but in the comments section of the video, someone asked X's AI assistant, Grok, about how the footage was taken from such a seemingly exposed location. The chatbot answered: “High-speed cameras under the launch mount capture the ignition of Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines. They’re mounted on reinforced structures, protected from heat and debris, and use advanced telemetry to transmit footage in real-time. SpaceX has perfected this technology for spectacular views like Starship’s eighth flight test.”

      Getting such a close-up of the world's most powerful rocket from this perspective is even more impressive when one considers that the launchpad was severely damaged during the rocket's first launch in April 2023. For the second flight test, SpaceX engineers developed a sturdier, safer launchpad capable of withstanding the tremendous forces generated by the Raptor engines during liftoff.

      Once the rocket's testing phase wraps up, NASA and SpaceX plan to utilize the Starship rocket for transporting crew and cargo to the lunar surface, and potentially to Mars as well.

      In other news, following a previous test flight, SpaceX conducted the seventh test flight of the Starship rocket on Thursday, but the upper-stage uncrewed Starship spacecraft exploded in midair shortly after separating from the Super Heavy booster. Footage of debris falling over the Caribbean began circulating on social media, with Elon Musk commenting that “entertainment is guaranteed” with each Starship launch.

      During the seventh test of its powerful Starship rocket, SpaceX succeeded in landing its first-stage Super Heavy booster, but unfortunately, the upper-stage Starship experienced what SpaceX refers to as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” (or simply, it exploded) shortly after separation. Clips soon emerged on social media showcasing pieces of the uncrewed Starship descending near the Turks and Caicos Islands, approximately 1,600 miles (2,600 km) east of the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. Elon Musk reposted one, stating: "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" However, reports later emerged that the FAA had to reroute several flights in the area to avoid the falling debris. It remains unclear whether any fragments reached land or if they all fell into the ocean.

      Moreover, SpaceX achieved a remarkable catch of its Super Heavy Booster during this seventh test flight of its Starship rocket, although the vehicle was lost. Launched at 5:37 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 16, from SpaceX's Boca Chica facility, this marked just the second time the massive booster was captured, aligning with SpaceX's objective to develop a reusable heavy lift system. However, the Starship's upper stage, which is expected to travel into orbit and deploy payloads, encountered engine problems during its ascent, and communication was lost approximately ten minutes post-launch, around the main engine cut-off time.