Residents across Southern California were dazzled by a SpaceX launch that briefly illuminated the skyline, early Thursday morning.

SpaceX is counting down to its seventh Starship test flight from South Texas. A 60-minute launch window opens at 4 p.m.

SpaceX's Starship is firing up its engine on Wednesday, January 15, with major upgrades to its mega-rocket and ambitious goals in store.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a launch license for the next Starship flight test on Dec. 17, clearing the way for SpaceX to once again launch the world's largest rocket from south Texas. Ever since, SpaceX has been rapidly preparing for the seventh overall flight test of the 400-foot-tall Starship.

Some Hawaiians don’t like the idea of SpaceX dropping Starship rockets in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the islands.

Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, pulled off a daring booster catch on its most ambitious test flight yet, but the spacecraft was lost. Follow for the latest news.

The Federal Aviation Administration has paused SpaceX's the launch of its Starship rocket as the U.S. agency oversees an investigation by the private company of the breakup after a test launch Thursday.

"Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. Teams will continue to review data from today's flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability," it read.

The upper stage of SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch from Texas on Thursday, leading the aerospace company to declare the vessel a "loss" in the seventh test flight of the heavy-lift spacecraft.

SpaceX is set to launch the seventh test flight of its Starship megarocket on Thursday (Jan. 16), and you can watch the action live. The 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas Thursday at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT; 4 p.m. local Texas time).

The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico on a near loop around the world. The booster was successfully caught at the launchpad.

Before the loss, SpaceX for the second time used giant mechanical arms to catch the booster back at the pad minutes after liftoff from Texas. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad ...