Elon Musk’s SpaceX is readying a 395-foot high, 30-foot wide rocket — nearly twice as tall as the Qutab Minar and large enough to hold a boxing ring — to take cargo and crew on interplanetary missions. Capable of carrying 100 tonnes to low earth orbit, it will be the biggest rocket ever built, beating Saturn-V, which took men to the moon in 1969. The rocket, code-named SuperHeavy, comprises two parts — a lower booster and an upper ‘Starship’, which will separate and cruise to other planets.

SpaceX is testing the rocket now. Last week, the eighth such test took place from its launchpad in the Boca Chica Beach, on the southeastern edge of Texas, USA. The rocket rose 12.5km and turned flat, descended to the base and turned again vertically before exploding into a ball of fire. The explosion was not as per plan, but it did throw up enough data for subsequent launches.

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