A SpaceX rocket was seen bursting into a gigantic ball of fire during a routine test in Texas Wednesday night.
The Starship 36 rocket was in the middle of a static fire test at Elon Musk’s Starbase location around 11 pm when startling footage caught the moment its nosecone abruptly opened, causing the screen to flash white briefly.
When the light finally faded, a giant ball of fire could be seen spreading on the ground as black clouds of smoke reached up to the night sky.
A static fire test is a preparatory step before flight wherein a rocket engine, or multiple engines, are ignited while the rocket remains securely attached to the launch mount. This indicates that there was no intention to launch the rocket on Wednesday night when the incident took place.
In a statement, SpaceX said the rocket suffered ‘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,’ the company stated.
“Our Starbase team is diligently working to secure the test site and the surrounding area closely with local authorities,” it was indicated, further assuring that “there are no risks to residents in nearby communities, and we request that people refrain from approaching the area while safety operations are ongoing.”
But local residents have reported that the massive explosion shook windows and rattled dishes, according to ValleyCentral.
Shocking footage from SpaceX’s Starbase shows the Starship apparently trying to lift off during a static fire test on Wednesday
The Starship’s nose suddenly burst open – creating a massive ball of fire
Firefighters were quickly dispatched to the scene, as the City of Port Isabel explained to residents that SpaceX ‘experienced a spacecraft anomaly during testing at its facility’ and that it is monitoring the situation, KRGV reports.
The city noted that ‘possible impacts may be felt or heard,’ as it shared a link for residents to report any damage.
Wednesday’s terrifying sight comes just weeks after another model of the 403-foot rocket exploded over the Indian Ocean in a fiery failure.
In that instance, the rocket was launched in an effort to deploy eight Starlink satellite simulators and test the vehicle’s reentry system by removing 100 heat-shield tiles, according to Fox News.
Although launch and initial ascent went smoothly, the Super Heavy booster suffered a catastrophic failure when its engines reignited for splashdown.
SpaceX confirmed the loss of the booster but noted the failure was expected given the extreme test conditions.
But earlier last month, another static fire test on the 35th iteration of the Starship rocket suffered a similar fiery fate when an object flew out of the ‘flame trench’ – a deep channel below the launchpad designed to deflect flames generated by the boosters.
The rocket has also suffered two back-to-back failed test flights this year, both of which saw it explode in mid-air.
Wednesday’s explosion marks another setback for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s dreams of colonizing Mars
Massive clouds of dark smoke were seen reaching up to the night sky on Wednesday
Despite the setbacks of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s dream of interplanetary colonization, the aerospace company emphasized the value of the flight last month.
‘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,’ the company said.
Musk added, ‘Launch cadence for the next 3 flights will be faster – approximately one every 3 to 4 weeks.’
SpaceX has also previously said it remains committed to rapid iteration and development despite the explosions.
‘Developmental testing by definition is unpredictable,’ the company said on its website.
‘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.’
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
