Sylvie Claire / Mars 4, 2021

A prototype of SpaceX's future giant Starship rocket, two of which crashed into huge fireballs at the end of their test flight, landed successfully on Wednesday in Texas, but exploded on the ground a few minutes later.

A beautiful soft landing, SpaceX commented in the video streaming the test flight live. However, flames were visible at the base of the rocket being extinguished by the teams on site.

A few minutes later, a huge explosion threw the device into the air, which shattered as it fell to the ground. No immediate explanation was given.

This vehicle is destined to become the rocket of choice for SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, to one day go to Mars. The prototype, named SN10, for Serial Number 10, took off shortly before 23:20 GMT from Boca Chica, Texas, for a third suborbital test.

The vehicle climbed into the sky, powered by three engines, which shut down one after the other, and the vehicle tilted into a horizontal position.

10 km of altitude

It reached the 10 kilometers of altitude, before beginning its descent, and the rocket was then put back in vertical position, succeeding in landing, at first sight without encumbers, at the desired place.

Two other prototypes (SN8 and SN9) crashed on landing in December and early February. These tests are taking place in a near-desert area leased by SpaceX, in the extreme south of Texas, near the border with Mexico and on the Gulf of Mexico -- an area empty enough that an accident or explosion would not cause damage or casualties.

Elon Musk imagines one day launching several of these ships to conquer Mars. But initially, the rocket, if it became operational, could prove useful for closer trips, especially to the Moon.