SpaceX Rocket Explodes During Test in Starbase – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

On Wednesday night, SpaceX’s Ship 36 prototype of its Starship and Super Heavy rocket exploded at the SpaceX Starbase launch site in Texas, footage shows. In a statement on X, SpaceX attributed the explosion to a “major anomaly” and reported that all personnel are safe.  

Starship is designed to be a “fully reusable transportation system” for cargo and astronauts, which makes it “central to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.” It allegedly used the most powerful launch system developed to date, with unprecedented carrying and endurance capacities.  

Each of the phases for the development, manufacturing, and testing of Starship took place in Starbase, Texas, a city created by Elon Musk. The launching and testing pad for Starship is uniquely designed for test-launching and catching Starship. All parts of the facility are designed with Starship’s goals in mind, which include Mars exploration and potential occupancy. Thus far, there have been 10 tests of Starship. Each test to date has ended in failure. 

Starship exploded in the preliminary phases of its 10th scheduled flight test. The flight test was publicly advertised on X and elsewhere by SpaceX itself. According to CBS News, 10 to 15 minutes before the test began, Starship exploded. This happened just around 11 p.m. CDT.

CBS reported that there were two explosions visible in a video provided by LabPadre, “the first near the rocket’s nose followed a moment later by a second eruption… on the left side of the spacecraft.”

LabPadre has noted that the anomaly causing the blast, though still unknown, appears to have “originated towards the top of the ship before detonation occurred.”

The damages to the launch site are unknown at this time, but the scale of the explosion was large. 

Both SpaceX and LabPadre have expressed relief that the surrounding areas and personnel are safe despite the blast. SpaceX assured the public that “[the] team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area.”

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