The issues may be sorted out through modifications to the remaining Block 2 ships; they may inform better design choices in the Block 3 ships. They may also indicate that the goal of a regularly reusable ship so light in its structure that it can get 150 tonnes into orbit is overly ambitious, and that the payload capacity will need to be reduced.

Two days after the latest in a string of test-flight setbacks for his big new Mars spacecraft, Starship, Elon Musk said on Thursday he foresees the futuristic vehicle making its first uncrewed voyage to the red planet at the end of next year.