**Trump Witnesses SpaceX Rocket Booster Crash During Test Launch in Texas**

During a highly anticipated visit to Texas, Donald Trump aimed to witness a groundbreaking space maneuver by SpaceX, but instead saw 33 rocket engines crash into the ocean. On Tuesday, the president-elect, alongside Elon Musk— SpaceX founder and Trump campaign donor turned advisor—watched a test flight of the Starship vehicle system. SpaceX planned to repeat a remarkable feat where mechanical arms on the launch tower would catch a returning rocket booster mid-air.

Despite successfully executing this maneuver once before, the mission director aborted the catch just four minutes into Tuesday’s launch, instructing the booster to crash into the Gulf of Mexico. The rationale behind the sudden decision remains undisclosed by SpaceX.

Though the primary goal was missed, engineers reignited an engine in space for the first time, offering a small triumph about 35 minutes later. This achievement, however, fell short of the visual spectacle of catching a descending rocket booster. Starship stands as the most powerful rocket ever constructed, towering nearly 400 feet and costing an estimated $100 million per flight. The reusability of boosters is a critical element in SpaceX's cost-reduction strategy.

Accompanied by several Republican members of Congress, Trump remained unusually silent post-launch, sharing only a blurry photo on Truth Social depicting the rocket's liftoff. On the contrary, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson celebrated SpaceX’s achievement on X, hailing the engine restart in space as a significant step toward orbital flight and reiterating NASA's shared ambitions.

In his post, Nelson emphasized that Starship's success would directly benefit NASA's Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and eventually setting sights on Mars. Despite the day's setbacks, the collaborative spirit between NASA and SpaceX continues to drive forward the future of space exploration.