On March 3, SpaceX finally appeared to make a soft landing of the latest prototype for its next-generation Mars rocket. But several minutes later, SN10, as the third prototype to make a high-altitude test flight was known, made an unscheduled second flight after it exploded on the landing pad.

Elon Musk explained on Tuesday that the landing was actually a bit more crunchy than soft.

"Impact of 10 m/s (22 miles per hour) crushed legs & part of skirt," the SpaceX founder tweeted.

A close look at the landing of SN10 reveals it came in a little hot and fast. It even appeared to bounce slightly upon touching down.

On the live webcast of the mission, there's a long silent pause (almost a full minute) from SpaceX commentator John Insprucker after landing as SN10 sat on the pad, slightly leaning to one side and a little bit on fire, apparently uncertain if it would like to tip over and take a long permanent nap.