Twitter is having a fun with SpaceX rocket’s ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’

The unmanned rocket fell far short of its goal of taking a round-the-world trip from the launch site on the southern tip of Texas. However, SpaceX, led by Musk, put a positive spin on the endeavor, calling it a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

Musk said he viewed Thursday’s launch as a “learning” experience.

In a Sunday discussion on Twitter, the social media service Musk purchased for $44 billion last year, he said that “if we get any information that allows us to improve the design of upcoming builds of Starship, then it is a success.”

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SpaceX aims to use Starship to ferry people and cargo to the moon and Mars. Thursday’s launch was the second try of this week, after a Monday attempt was called off due to a frozen booster valve.

The launch quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, which has undergone significant changes since Musk’s takeover. He has slashed staff, implemented controversial policy changes, and most recently, renamed the parent company X Corp., part of his mission to create an “everything app.”

Many users took the opportunity to poke fun at the eccentric billionaire, comparing the fate of the rocket to the 51-year-old’s other business ventures. Other reactions, particularly from those in the astronautical field, were positive, praising the attempt for its scientific value.

Check out some of the reactions below.

Many users took aim at the phrase “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” an expression Musk has used for years in reference to his exploding spacecrafts. Author James Surowiecki called it “one of the all-time great euphemisms.”

Lawyer, and Boston-area native George Conway, who has voiced concerns over Musk’s leadership of Twitter in recent months, took the remark one step further, likening the rocket’s fate to that of the social media website.

Others simply mocked the grandiose-sounding nature of the phrase.

Others, however, chose to focus on the strides the launch represented for the future of space travel.

Bill Nelson, the current administrator of NASA, congratulated the company on its maiden integrated flight test.

“Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward,” wrote Nelson, who in 2021 took the helm of the agency, which regularly partners with and provides funding to SpaceX. “Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test—and beyond.”

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet also congratulated the company, and urged his followers to “never mistake trial for failure.”

Michael Baylor, who works on livestreams for NASASpaceflight.com (not affiliated with NASA) called the takeoff a “great first attempt by the SpaceX team!”

John Kraus, a spaceflight photographer who shot the launch, said it was “hard to describe what it was like to experience the excitement of today.”

Dana Gerber can be reached at dana.gerber@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @danagerber6.