https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/24/max-q-a-successful-failure/ > Hello and welcome back to Max Q! > SpaceX launched a fully stacked Starship for the first time on Thursday morning, with the vehicle passing through Max Q and flying for around three minutes. Let me be clear: This was a remarkable result for a first flight test, especially given that this is the biggest and most powerful rocket human beings have ever built. To fixate on the conclusion of the launch — the fairly spectacular explosion after the rocket’s upper stage failed to separate from the booster — is to miss the significant success story of the Starship testing program so far.