A SpaceX rocket exploded into a giant fireball during a routine test at a launch pad in Texas. The spacecraft was undergoing a static test.
On the night of June 19, during ground tests at the Starbase test site in Texas, the prototype of the Starship 36 spacecraft exploded. The SpaceX rocket turned into a giant fireball.
SpaceX reported this.
It is known that at about 23:00 local time during a scheduled static test of the engine, a “serious anomaly” occurred, causing an explosion. At that time, the ship was being prepared for its tenth flight test.
Elon Musk's company stressed that the entire operation was under control, a safe zone was established around the facility and all personnel remained unharmed.
“Starship, while preparing for its 10th flight test, experienced a major anomaly at the Starbase test site,” SpaceX said in a statement.
The cause of the Starship accident is still unknown.
Recall that earlier last month, another static fire test of the 35th version of the Starship rocket suffered the same fate, when an object flew out of the “flame trench” – a deep channel under the launch pad designed to reflect the flames created by the boosters.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit has published unique photos of the explosion of the SpaceX Starship, taken from the International Space Station.
SpaceX representatives have not yet provided an official comment, but the company has viewed previous similar incidents as important experimental lessons on the path to creating fully reusable space systems.
