SpaceX's Starhopper Rocket Prototype Aborts 1st Untethered Hop Attempt

SpaceX fired up its Starhopper test vehicle for its biggest hop yet Wednesday (July 24), but the rocket aborted the flight just seconds into the attempt.

Starhopper, a prototype for SpaceX's Starship program, ignited its Raptor engine for about 3 seconds at the company's Boca Chica test site in South Texas, but the vehicle failed to lift off. Instead of hopping up about 65 feet (20 meters) as planned, the rocket belched flame and smoke, then shut down.