, Nov. 14 -- SpaceX's effort to recover both stages of its Starship rocket at the launch pad suffered a setback on Friday when the booster fell into the Gulf of Mexico and exploded. However, the spacecraft successfully reached orbit in what marked its most ambitious test so far.

Rather than returning to its Texas launch pad after liftoff, the first-stage booster was diverted to an offshore location. Despite losing the booster, the spacecraft continued its journey and is scheduled to return to the launch site on Saturday, provided no further problems arise. The mission could continue for up to 22 hours.

The flight marks the first attempt to bring Starship back to its launch pad from orbit, where mechanical arms attached to the launch tow...