SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try Thursday, but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.

The company said it lost contact with Starship as it neared its goal, a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The first-stage booster also ended up in pieces, breaking apart much earlier in the flight over the Gulf of Mexico after launching from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.

"The ship has been lost. So no splashdown today," said SpaceX's Dan Huot. "But again, it's incredible to see how much further we got this time around.

SpaceX's powerful Starship and Super Heavy rocket completed a more successful third orbital test flight from Texas on Thursday morning with no explosive endings on the way up that marred the first two test flights in 2023.

The way down, though, still saw more destructive ends as the first-stage booster came in at more than 600 mph hitting the Gulf of Mexico and the upper stage spacecraft broke up on reentry halfway around the Earth. The overall mission, though, was considered a success by SpaceX officials.

"This is the furthest that we've gotten in our test flight, but the further we fly, the more data that we can get and that's ultimately the measure of success here," said SpaceX commentator and quality systems engineering manager Kate Tice. "I think today has been a huge success, given where we were, we'd gone, and how much further we've gotten with both the booster and Starship itself."

The Federal Aviation Administration announced late Wednesday it had granted SpaceX a license for the Orbital Flight Test 3, and the 396-foot-tall rocket took flight at 9:25 a.m.