News

Daredevil ‘Mad’ Mike Hughes dies attempting to launch himself in homemade rocket

“Mad” Mike Hughes, the flat-Earther daredevil who once propelled himself over 1,800 feet above the Mojave Desert in a homemade rocket, has died while attempting a similar stunt, according to reports. He was 64.

The launch, which was meant for a new Science Channel series called “Homemade Astronauts,” was supposed to have rocketed Hughes up to 5,000 feet into the air, the TV network said.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes’ family and friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey,” the Science Channel said in a statement.

The crash happened Saturday afternoon just off highway 247 in Barstow, California, according to a statement by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office.





Justin Chapman, a freelance journalist who witnessed the crash, said the rocket appeared to rub against the launch apparatus, which may have torn the parachutes attached to it.

The rocket came straight down into the ground, said Chapman, who posted shocking video of the crash online.

While Hughes was not immediately identified by authorities, they did say that a man was killed after a rocket crashed in the desert during a launch event, CNN reported.

A sheriff’s aviation unit is investigating and no other injuries were reported, according to the report.

Hughes’ prior successful self-manned rocket launch in the Mojave Desert 2018 was an attempt to see if the Earth is flat, he said at the time.

“Do I believe the Earth is shaped like a Frisbee? I believe it is,” he said. “Do I know for sure? No. That’s why I want to go up in space.”





Hughes’ daredevil streak went further than just his love of homemade rockets. He was also a limousine driver and held the Guinness world record for jumping a stretch limo 103 feet in at a speedway in 2002.

With Post wires





Share this: