A live stream has caught the moment a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded into a massive fireball when preparing for a flight test, SpaceX says.
The explosion happened on Wednesday night around 11pm at the Massey’s Testing Center in Texas.
Via a statement, the company said no injuries were recorded. They said there were no hazards to the surrounding communities and asked people to stay away from the area.
It said, its Starbase team is working to safe the test site, as well as, the close surrounding area in collaboration with local security.
SpaceX said via a statement on its official X account: “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.”
Spaceflight Now reports: “The bullet-shaped, stainless-steel Ship 36 was ripped apart in a giant fireball as liquid methane and liquid oxygen were being loaded for an expected test firing of the vehicle’s six Raptor rocket engines. It was unclear how much damage was inflicted to the test stand and other facilities at the Massey site.
“Airspace warnings, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration prior to Wednesday’s failure, suggested SpaceX was targeting June 29 for the tenth test flight of the full Starship vehicle with its Super Heavy Booster first stage.
“The dramatic failure follows three unsuccessful test flights of the Starship upper stage earlier this year. Flights 7 and 8 both ended with an explosion of the Ship upper stage during the climb to space.
“After a successful ascent on Flight 9 on May 27, the Starship upper stage suffered a loss of attitude control and was destroyed during reentry without accomplishing most of the planned in-space test activities.
“Starship plays a vital role in NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the Moon. The Human Landing System variant of Starship is supposed to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface on the Artemis 3 mission, currently scheduled for 2027.”
Photo: A SpaceX Starship upper stage, or ship, being prepared for an earlier test flight. The ship for the tenth test flight exploded during ground tests June 19. SpaceX via Space News
