HOUSTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX's Starship rocket was launched on its third test flight Thursday morning from Texas at around 8:25 a.m. local time (1325 GMT).

The third test flight aims to build on previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship's payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage's coast phase, the first ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship, SpaceX said on its website.