// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Setback for SpaceX Starship rocket's double-catch test
The lower stage of the rocket was diverted to the ocean as it burst into flames
SpaceX aborted its attempt to catch the bottom part of its huge Starship rocket during its latest test flight.
The aim was to catch it using the mechanical arms - nicknamed chopsticks - on the launch tower as it returned to Earth, but instead it was diverted to the ocean, bursting into flames as it came down.
The top part of the rocket is now continuing its journey to space, and SpaceX will decide whether it will try to catch this rocket stage - at about 1515 local time (2115 GMT) on Saturday.
It's the company's first attempt to fully recover its rocket, paving the way for making Starship fully reusable so it can fly repeatedly and reduce costs.
Starship is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built
The 124m-tall rocket successfully blasted off from the Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas at 1645 local time (2245 GMT) on Friday.
It was supposed to catch the bottom part of the rocket - the Super Heavy booster - six and a half minutes later when it returned to the launch tower, but instead it was diverted to the ocean.
During a stream of the launch, a SpaceX spokesperson said: "Safety is always the number one priority, and we're still testing out things that we haven't done before on these vehicles, and so we are prioritising making sure that we can perform each maneuver safely."
The top part of the rocket, called the Ship, is continuing its journey to space, where it is deploying 26 satellites. These will form part of the Starlink constellation that provides high-speed internet from space.