milestone for the developmental spacecraft key to Elon Musk's audacious plans. The black-and-silver behemoth, standing more than 120 meters (131 yards) tall, blasted off from SpaceX's Texas base early Monday morning with the aim of reaching orbit and spending about 10 hours circling Earth. Following the successful separation and splashdown of the Super Heavy booster, the Starship upper stage reached orbit -- but only after some engine trouble raised doubts the mission would proceed. "Starship is orbital”, a member of the launch team said on a livestream, with cheers ringing out among assembled SpaceX staff. Minutes later, the spaceship began deploying next-generation Starlink satellites, adding to the massive satellite internet constellation that represents a major revenue stream for the now-publicly traded company. After about only three hours into the flight, SpaceX engineers made the decision to de-orbit the spacecraft into the Pacific Ocean. The livestream showed the upright upper stage rapidly gliding back down through the atmosphere before the engines re-lit, slowing its descent into the water. After touching down vertically, the Starship appeared to sink onto its side and was engulfed by a large explosion. Musk intends for Starship to one day be rapidly reusable, landing on platforms that will catch the rocket before it touches the ground or water. (Bssnews)