Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket has erupted into a massive fireball after it hit a ‘major anomaly’.
This occurred during a routine test on the rocket yesterday (June 18), at Musk’s Starbase site in Texas.
A static fire test was being conducted on the Starship 36 rocket when it burst into a huge ball of fire, with black smoke billowing into the sky.
While the initial launch of the spacecraft did go smoothly, along with its initial ascent into the sky, it was its Super Heavy booster that failed when the engines reignited for splashdown.
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In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, SpaceX said: “On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for.
“Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”
According to a report by ValleyCentral, residents recalled how the explosion shook windows and rattled dishes.
According to KRGV, firefighters were dispatched that night to help contain the blaze, however, a full assessment of the incident and its cause is yet to be determined.
The explosion is the latest setback in a long list for Musk and his space colonising ambitions as just last month, a SpaceX Starship traveling over the Indian Ocean met a fiery end.
The ship, which was launched on May 28, suffered ‘a rapid unscheduled disassembly’ moments after lift off.
Meanwhile, a $5 billion heavy-lift rocket suffered an explosion during a similar static test.
Further explosions involving SpaceX starships have caused chaos in the skies, including one failed test earlier in the year which sent debris onto the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Despite setbacks, Musk seems intent on fulfilling his dreams of colonising space.
Speaking just last month, the billionaire said: “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary.”
On the SpaceX website, it details: “Developmental testing by definition is unpredictable but by putting hardware in a flight environment as frequently as possible, we’re able to quickly learn and execute design changes as we seek to bring Starship online as a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle.”