While SpaceX lost the upper stage of its new Starship in a flight test, the futuristic spacecraft presages a spaceflight revolution, says a leading U.S. space scholar.

While Jeff Bezos has spent $14 billion to achieve his first space launch, his billionaire rival has built a thriving business, mostly with other people’s money.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made light of Starship's fiery end. "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" he said on X.

Commander Matthew Dominick, pilot Michael Barratt, mission specialists Jeanette Epps and Aleksandr Grebenkin arrived at the International Space Station after docking. Credit: NASA

SpaceX plans to launch the seventh full-scale test flight of its massive Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket Thursday afternoon. It's the first of what might be a dozen or more demonstration flights this year as SpaceX tries new things with the most powerful rocket ever built.

To follow FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of Tuesday's mission, visit floridatoday.com/space starting about 90 minutes before liftoff.

Flawed rocket launches by SpaceX and Blue Origin still leave both companies in position to dominate the space sector.

Elon Musk's SpaceX's Starship test flight ended in failure as the spacecraft exploded and broke apart, following a suspected fuel leak in the engine firewall.

Firefly Aerospace launches Blue Ghost Lunar Lander on a SpaceX rocket, embarking on a 45-day journey to conduct scientific experiments on the moon.

The rocket company said the space vehicle came apart during its ascent. Videos posted to social media showed debris streaking through the sky.

A fire in the aft section of SpaceX's Starship trigged the apparent explosion that destroyed the spacecraft, the company says.

The SpaceX Starship suffered an explosion during a flight test from Texas, impacting nearby flights. Concurrently, a scientist in Belgium is developing a scent to solve cold cases. Meanwhile, archaeologists in Pompeii have unveiled an opulent bath complex.