SpaceX's Starship booster fails to land as planned during test flight

SpaceX's sixth Starship test flight on Wednesday faced setbacks as the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of being caught by the launch tower's arms. This was a departure from a previous successful catch. The booster failed to meet technical criteria for recovery, leading to its splashdown and subsequent explosion. Despite this, the upper stage of Starship achieved partial orbit and completed key objectives, including a successful splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Elon Musk announced plans for a more powerful Starship V3, aiming for testing within a year. This flight also marked the end of the current prototype generation and included a payload of a stuffed banana.