The key moment came 38 minutes after Starship roared off the launch pad

SpaceX launched its sixth Starship rocket Tuesday, proving for the first time that the stainless steel ship can maneuver in space and paving the way for a even larger, upgraded vehicle to debut on the next test flight.

The world's biggest launcher—standing 398 feet (121.3 meters) tall—lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas at 4 pm CST (22:00 UTC) Tuesday. The rocket headed east over the Gulf of Mexico propelled by 33 Raptor engines arranged on the bottom of its first stage booster, known as the Super Heavy.

A few miles away, President-elect Donald Trump joined SpaceX founder Elon Musk to witness the launch. The SpaceX boss became one of Trump's most crucial allies in this year's presidential election.

They watched Starship climb into a clear autumn sky. At full power, the 33 Raptors chugged more than 40,000 pounds ...