SpaceX's Starship lost, but successful in third test: Here's what happened in past launches

SpaceX's Starship soared to new heights Thursday not previously reached in the aerospace company's earlier tests of the mega rocket that will one day ferry NASA astronauts to the moon – and even Mars.

Expectations were high for the third launch of the 400-foot-long unmanned spacecraft after the rocket exploded in two previous test flights in 2023. Though SpaceX believes the rocket unexpectedly broke up upon returning to Earth's atmosphere, Elon Musk's company still lauded the roughly one-hour flight as a massive success.

While in orbit, the Starship hit several key milestones and conducted a handful of in-flight tests that are a crucial step forward for it to be reliable and functional. That's good news for NASA, which awarded the company a $2.9 billion contract in 2021 to develop the first commercial human lander for its Artemis III mission to the moon slated for 2026.

As Musk and his company prepare for more test flights this year, here's what to know about what happened in all three of the launches so far.

Read more: Graphics show you Starship.

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Inaugural test flight: Starship explodes minutes after launch

SpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful spacecraft to ever be sent to space, got off to a rough start when it exploded just four minutes into its inaugural test flight on April 20.

The craft was able to launch at SpaceX’s private Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville on the Gulf of Mexico. But telemetry data revealed that several of the spacecraft's engines had failed, triggering the explosion before booster and spacecraft were able to even separate.

SpaceX later confirmed the rocket's flight termination system was activated to destroy the tumbling vehicle before it met its fiery end.

Second test flight: Starship makes it further than before, but still explodes

During the second launch test of the Starship on Nov. 18, the rocket survived for longer and achieved some milestones, but it still eventually exploded.

The booster was able to successfully separate from rocket, which reached space before the ground crew lost communications with it after nine minutes. Three minutes later, SpaceX lost both the booster and the spacecraft in two explosions.

Rather than seeing it as a setback, SpaceX expressed optimism about the stage separation while saying the rest would just be valuable data to help them remedy whatever went wrong.

“The real topping on the cake today, that successful liftoff,” SpaceX commentator John Insprucker said after the November test, as reported by the Associated Press. Insprucker noted that for the first time, all 33 booster engines fired as designed and the booster separated seamlessly from the spaceship, which reached an altitude of 92 miles.

Third test flight: Starship reaches space before being lost in atmosphere

In the latest test, the Starship succeeded in separating Thursday from the booster and proceeding to orbit within minutes of launching, where it conducted a series of in-flight tests while coasting through space.

Video of its flight beamed back to Earth using SpaceX's Starlink Satellite network was able to capture the beginning of the spacecraft's re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. However, the signal was lost about an hour into the mission before SpaceX concluded that the craft likely broke apart.

Despite Starship's failure to make its planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean, SpaceX said the rocket still achieved several key milestones, including the successful firing of its 33 Raptor engines in the booster and the opening of a payload door.

NASA Administrator hailed the test as an optimistic development as the U.S. space agency looks ahead to future moon missions under its Artemis program that includes the first American crewed lunar landing since 1972.

"I'm just completely blown away," said Dan Huot, SpaceX communications manager, who helped to host the live webcast. "We're farther than we've ever been before."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com