SpaceX Starship SN8 Test Launch and Explosion

SpaceX conducted a 12.5-kilometer-high test launch of its Starship Serial Number 8 (SN8) rocket on December 9, 2020. Here’s a video I took from about 6 miles away from the launch site. This test launch took place at Boca Chica Beach, Texas near the cities of South Padre Island and Brownsville.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKLSNCODWrQ

In this video you’ll see the rocket reach its peak altitude, then begin to fall back to the ground. As it falls, just before reaching the ground, you’ll see the rocket do a remarkable maneuver as it turns itself upright in order to make a clean landing. However, something goes wrong in the very final moments, the approach is not level, so the rocket ultimately explodes.

Below are some photos I took during the launch. I took these photos on a Nikon D750 camera with a Sigma 50-500mm lens, from a distance of about 6 miles.