SpaceX has pulled off a successful test flight of its newest generation rocket Starship, reversing a trend of disappointing failures.

Axar.az reports, citing BBC, the world's largest and most powerful rocket blasted off from Texas just after 18:30 local time (03:30 Baku time) for a nail-biting 60-minute flight.

Parts of the engine appeared to explode at one stage, and flaps on the side of the rocket caught fire and swung from side-to-side.

US space agency Nasa plans to use Starship to send humans to the Moon for its Artemis programme in 2027.

"Great work by the SpaceX team!!", posted SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X.