SpaceX’s mega rocket blasts off on a third test flight from Texas

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

SpaceX’s mega rocket has blasted off on another test flight from Texas. This time, Elon Musk is aiming to get his Starship spacecraft halfway around the world. Minutes after liftoff Thursday, the booster separated seamlessly from the spaceship and splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft continued eastward, targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Thursday’s launch outperformed the previous two test flights, which lasted just minutes before blowing up. No people or satellites were on board the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket.