A SpaceX Starship upper stage exploded dramatically during preparations for an engine test at the company’s Starbase facility on the Texas Gulf Coast. The incident, which occurred late on Wednesday, resulted in the destruction of the rocket and is seen as a significant setback for the Super Heavy-Starship vehicle that Elon Musk views as crucial for the company’s future.
Video footage from LabPadre, a company monitoring SpaceX activities, captured the moment when the Starship suddenly burst into a massive fireball shortly before the scheduled engine test. Flames and debris shot into the sky from the fiery explosion that engulfed the test stand. The video showed two distinct explosions – one near the rocket’s nose followed by another on the left side of the spacecraft, with the test stand disappearing in a billowing fireball resembling a bomb blast.
The Starship was undergoing fueling with liquid oxygen and methane when the explosions occurred. Fires continued to burn out of control at the test site over an hour after the initial blast, known as the Massey test site where cryogenic and hotfire tests typically take place.
SpaceX confirmed the anomaly and stated that all personnel were safe. Efforts were underway to secure the site and surrounding area. The impact of the explosion on the test site infrastructure was uncertain, raising concerns about potential damage and delays to future tests.
The incident may affect the scheduled launch of Ship 36, a Starship set for its tenth test flight with a Super Heavy booster. Previous test flights have experienced mixed outcomes, with some ending in explosions or breakups. Despite setbacks, SpaceX had made progress in its testing program before this latest incident.
The next steps for the Starship program are now uncertain, with potential delays to future flights as engineers assess the damage and work to address any issues.
To send the Starship variant to the moon, SpaceX will have to launch 10 to 20 Super Heavy-Starships to refuel the lander in low-Earth orbit before it can begin its journey to the moon. This process involves perfecting the transfer of super cold propellants autonomously, as well as utilizing new technology to prevent the cryogenic liquid methane and oxygen from warming up and evaporating in space. Failures like the one experienced on Wednesday will only add to the challenge of sticking to the tight schedule. Additionally, a teenager is being questioned in relation to a quadruple murder in a family, a SpaceX Starship upper stage has exploded, and Hurricane Erick is approaching Mexico with destructive winds and a major storm surge.
