in an explosive end to its first launch

[GoldfishLord]

Elon Musk's Starship rocket has blown up around four minutes after blasting off in an explosive end to its first launch.

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...sk/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_youtube_youtube-community

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What's the meaning of "in"?

 

[Barque]

See number 5 here: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/in

The blowing up constituted an explosive end. It amounted to an explosive end.

I would advise against analysing each word. Try to understand the entire sentence.

 

[GoldfishLord]

It seems to me that it means "while".
Would you be more specific?

 

[Barque]

No, it doesn't mean "while" exactly.

It blew up. The blowing up was the end. It was an explosive end. It blew up in an explosive end. The explosive end describes what the blowing up was.

 

[Barque]

Another example--take a football player in the World Cup final who's going to retire after the match. He plays well, scores a goal, assists in a couple more, and his team wins.

He then retired, in a blaze of glory.

He retired. The retirement took place in the backdrop of a glorious victory.

 

[Tarheel]

@GoldfishLord The sentence you quoted is very well written. It's packed full of information and elegantly phrased.