Another shot was snapped just after separation of the vehicle's two elements — the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage. This photo, taken from within Ship's engine bay, shows Super Heavy falling away, orange flame licking at its top, with the blue curve of Earth in the background.

The largest, most powerful launch vehicle ever built is meant to be a key part of SpaceX’s plans to send humans to Mars—and NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon, too

SpaceX is gearing up for another big step in its journey to revolutionize space travel. Preparations for the seventh flight of its Starship megarocket are well underway, with the first-stage Super Heavy booster now at the launchpad for preflight checks.