SpaceX’s Starship has experienced another “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” exploding in a spectacularly large fireball on Wednesday night. The vehicle didn’t even get off the ground this time either.
SpaceX’s ninth Starship test flight ends in another explosion
The enormous explosion occurred at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Brownsville, Texas, where Starship 36 had been undergoing its second routine static fire test. Such tests are trial runs of a vehicle’s launch system, fuelling it up and briefly firing its engines without disengaging the launch mount.
Unfortunately, this particular trial run did not go as planned at all, with the fortunately unmanned Starship 36 meeting a fiery end shortly after 11:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. PDT / Friday, 12:00 a.m. EDT). No injuries have yet been reported, and local police have stated that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosion.
The explosion and aftermath were livestreamed by NASASpaceflight (occurring around one hour and 56 minutes in), with the Starship’s catastrophic failure turning the entire screen white.
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“So about those launch dates, I think that may delay [them] a bit,” NASASpaceflight’s livestream commentator Sawyer Rosenstein noted seconds after the explosion.
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Starship 36 was expected to be used during SpaceX’s tenth Starship test flight, though a date has not yet been set for the launch. Considering Wednesday’s events, it wouldn’t be surprising if SpaceX now opts to push back its plans.
The official SpaceX X account also acknowledged the incident, reiterating that nobody appears to have been harmed.
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“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,” SpaceX wrote. “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.”
The loss of Starship 36 is likely an unwanted setback for SpaceX. The company’s ninth Starship test flight previously ended in an unplanned explosion last month, and was its third such flight to explode in a row. While every failure is always a chance to learn, these are no doubt extremely expensive lessons.