(CNN Business) – A prototype SpaceX Mars missile, known as the SN 10, flew over southern Texas during a test flight on Wednesday, before it reached a landing point close to the launch site.
About three minutes after the landing, several independent video footage showed that the missile exploded on its landing pad.
The SN 10 of SpaceX, an early prototype of the company’s Starship missile, took off at about 5:15 pm in a CT scan and ascended six miles over the coastal landscape, simulating two previous test flights by SpaceX, both of which ended up exploding.
Wednesday saw the first successful landing of a Starchip prototype. However, the cause of the explosion that followed the landing was not immediately clear.
SpaceX’s first launch attempt on Wednesday, around 3 p.m. CST, failed at the last minute.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said in a tweet on Twitter that the failure of the test occurred due to predetermined criteria around missile propulsion, which Musk described as “a bit conservative.”
He added that the company will increase the thrust of the missile, giving the missile more room to maneuver and get the green light to take off.
