Science
Massive Explosion Rocks SpaceX Launch After Rocket Hits Unexpected Technical Issue
When Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket struck a “major anomaly,” it burst into a huge fireball.
This happened yesterday, June 18, as the rocket was doing a standard test at Musk’s Starbase facility in Texas.
Black smoke billowed into the sky as the Starship 36 rocket exploded into a massive ball of flames during a static fire test.
Although the spacecraft’s initial launch and climb into the sky went without a hitch, its Super Heavy rocket malfunctioned when the engines restarted for splashdown.
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.”
Residents described how the explosion rattled dishes and rocked windows, according to a ValleyCentral story.
Firefighters were sent that evening to assist in containing the fire, but a thorough investigation into the incident and its cause has not yet been completed, according to KRGV.
The explosion is the most recent in a string of setbacks for Musk and his space colonisation goals; only last month, a SpaceX Starship was destroyed by fire while passing over the Indian Ocean.
Shortly after taking off on May 28, the ship experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
Meanwhile, a similar static test resulted in the explosion of a $5 billion heavy-lift rocket.
A failed test earlier this year that dropped debris onto the Turks and Caicos Islands was one of several explosions involving SpaceX starships that have caused pandemonium in the skies.
Musk appears determined to realise his aspirations of colonising space in spite of obstacles.
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.”
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