Japan’s brand-new H3 rocket was destroyed on its March 7 inaugural flight after the vehicle’s second-stage engine failed to ignite. This marked a major setback for the nation’s years-long efforts to develop a more capable and cost-effective alternative to the nation’s current workhorse, H-2A.

A Twitter employee has appealed to Elon Musk on the platform to ask whether he had been sacked.

In a tweet to the firm's chief executive, Halli Thorleifsson said: "Your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am employed or not".