SpaceX Starship SN9 test flight ends in fiery explosion on the landing pad

The next SpaceX Starship prototype, SN9, took off on February 2nd, 2021 from the company’s launch facility in in Boca Chica, Texas. And much like the first Starship test flight last year, SN9 had a mostly-successful test flight, which unfortunately ended with the ship exploding in a giant ball of fire and debris upon attempt to return to the Earth’s surface.