Another shot was snapped just after separation of the vehicle's two elements — the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage. This photo, taken from within Ship's engine bay, shows Super Heavy falling away, orange flame licking at its top, with the blue curve of Earth in the background.

After back-to-back Starship upper stage failures, SpaceX on Tuesday again launched the world's most powerful rocket, but faced new problems.

Its giant Starship is grounded yet again after exploding during another test flight, the third time this year. Chief transportation correspondent MayCay Beeler explains what went into the decision. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media,