The second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sustained a rare but catastrophic failure on Thursday night (Friday AEST), disintegrating in orbit during the deployment of the company’s latest batch of Starlink internet satellites.

In a posting on the social platform X two hours after launch, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reported that the rocket had suffered a “RUD” – rapid unscheduled disassembly – while in orbit. “Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause,” he wrote.