rapid unscheduled disassembly

noun

Synonym of rapid unplanned disassembly.

Meanings

nounrapid unscheduled disassembly (countable and uncountable, plural rapid unscheduled disassemblies)

plural rapid unscheduled disassemblies

  1. countableeuphemisticuncountableengineeringSynonym of rapid unplanned disassembly.

    The four-minute flight ended in what the company called a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" — meaning it blew up. But there was much to learn from the flight, the latest step in SpaceX’s explode-as-you-learn approach.

    2023 April 20, Daniel Victor, Kenneth Chang, “Starship Exploded, but SpaceX Had Reason to Pop Champagne Anyway”, in The New York Times
    2 more examples

    Private spaceflight company SpaceX has released new pictures of its Falcon 9 rocket attempting to land on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean before undergoing what its chief executive, Elon Musk, euphemistically referred to as "RUD" – that’s "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly". In other words, it blew up.

    2015 January 16, Alex Hern, “This is what a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' looks like”, in The Guardian

    Shortly after stage separation, the rocket's massive Super Heavy booster exploded, with the Starship upper-stage vehicle itself detonating before reaching its target altitude in what SpaceX called a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

    2023 November 18, Josh Dinner, “SpaceX Starship megarocket launches on 2nd-ever test flight, explodes in 'rapid unscheduled disassembly'”, in Space.com, retrieved 18 Nov 2023

    Synonyms: rapid unplanned disassembly

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of rapid unplanned disassembly.

Cite this entry
APA

rapid unscheduled disassembly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rapid%20unscheduled%20disassembly

MLA

“rapid unscheduled disassembly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rapid%20unscheduled%20disassembly. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rapid%20unscheduled%20disassembly.

Source: rapid unscheduled disassembly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.