Sri Lanka, May 28 -- SpaceX's colossal Starship rocket blasted off on Tuesday in a key test of the Elon Musk-led company's ability to bounce back from explosive failures during its previous two test flights.

The launch system, comprised of the Starship upper portion and its Super Heavy booster, thundered off the company's launchpad in South Texas at around 6:36 p.m. local time.

With the ninth flight, SpaceX plans to test upgrades to the vehicle, re-fly a booster it used previously and also deploy dummy satellites designed to mimic upgraded Starlink internet satellites the rocket is meant to carry when it's operational.

The stakes are particularly high after flights in January and March were cut short just minutes after takeoff when t...