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 undergoing a static fire test at Elon Musk‘s Starbase test site at around 11pm when shocking footage shows its nose suddenly bursts open – causing the screen to momentarily flash white.
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.
The static fire test is a pre-flight procedure in which a rocket engine or a set of engines are ignited while the vehicle is firmly bolted to the launch mount, meaning the rocket was not set to launch Wednesday night when the explosion occurred.
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 actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials,’ it added, noting that 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.’
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.
