Heh, looks like China has been pretty busy... I wonder what tonnage to orbit figures look like for 2023?
As for THIS headline, more accurate would be: “SpaceX uses up old parts to gather data, in flight with dramatic ending.”
Ok, yeah, that wouldn’t sell well. Maybe “”SpaceX uses up old parts to gather data, then self-destructs rocket in massive explosion.”
(People like “boom”.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13KtGfpZtDw
(Pretty good early analysis of the launch. See the comments regarding the launch pad damage.)