SpaceX conducted a test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday, but the mission ended in destruction after an impressive booster recovery attempt at the launch pad.

Elon Musk’s company reported that the Starship was lost during what they termed a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” During the ascent, the rocket’s six engines seemed to fail sequentially, and contact was lost just eight and a half minutes into the flight.

This latest version of Starship, an upgraded model making its first test flight, was designed to travel over the Gulf of Mexico from Texas in a trajectory resembling past test runs. SpaceX had equipped the rocket with 10 dummy satellites for the purpose of practicing satellite deployment.

A minute before the rocket was destroyed, SpaceX successfully utilized the launch tower’s massive arms to catch the returning booster, an achievement only accomplished once prior. The booster descended gracefully and hovered above the launch pad before being securely grasped by the mechanical arms, affectionately known as the “chopsticks.” However, the excitement from this successful maneuver quickly morphed into disappointment for both the company and the spectators who gathered in southern Texas.