Hailed as the world’s most powerful launch vehicle, Starship is SpaceX's bold answer to our apparently insufficient one-planet lifestyle. It's designed to haul an impressive 150 metric tonnes in its fully reusable form, and aims to whisk passengers off to the Moon, Mars, and perhaps to the farthest reaches of our solar system. But things haven't exactly gone to plan so far.

The Starship's debut in April 2023 ended just four minutes post-launch in a rather dramatic fashion. Its encore in November wasn't much better, with the Super Heavy booster exploding after parting ways with its upper stage. Environmentalists aren't exactly over the moon about Starship's earthly impacts, either, with its development in Boca Chica, Texas posing a threat to species like the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea-turtle.