A US daredevil has died after his home-made rocket crashed during a launch attempt.
Mike Hughes - who called himself 'Mad Mike' - had been attempting to reach space from the Californian desert.
Footage appears to show the steam-powered rocket's parachute being torn off during takeoff, before the craft falls to Earth.
The Science Channel - a US television station - confirmed the 64-year-old's death, saying it was "always [Mike's] dream to do this launch".
Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey pic.twitter.com/GxwjpVf2md
— Science Channel (@ScienceChannel) February 23, 2020
US media reports Mr Hughes was being filmed by the Science Channel for a TV series called Homemade Astronauts.
According to CNN, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office confirmed a man had died during a rocket launch attempt on Saturday afternoon - although they did not formally identify Mr Hughes.
The daredevil and inventor had received international attention after he said he was ultimately attempting to reach space to prove his belief that the Earth was flat.
While his rocket jumps were also traditional daredevil stunts, he and supporters also publicly voiced their plans for the bigger launch - with Mr Hughes receiving crowdfunding sponsorship from 'flat earthers' for his rocket building efforts.
Speaking to Sean Moncrieff in 2017, Mr Hughes claimed: "Everything is speculation, but most people who believe that the Earth is flat knows that there is an ice wall around the ocean that's about 150-foot tall - and that's what holds the oceans in.
"No-one knows what's beyond that."
Despite several failed attempts in the past, Hughes successfully launched his steam-powered rocket in 2018 - reaching a height of 1,800 feet.
