The failure of the eighth Starship test comes just over a month after the seventh also ended in an explosive failure. The back-to-back mishaps occurred in early mission phases that SpaceX has easily surpassed previously, a setback for a program Musk had sought to speed up this year. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket system is central to Musk's plan to send humans to Mars as soon as the turn of the decade. Musk called Thursday's explosion "a minor setback" on Friday. "Progress is measured by time. The next ship will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks," Musk said on X, responding to another user on his social media platform.

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