Elon Musk's Starship Explodes During Ground Test

SpaceX's Starship has exploded during a ground test at Elon Musk's company's Starbase in Texas, local authorities said, adding that there were no injuries . The rocket suffered " a major anomaly ," a SpaceX press release said. "A safety zone around the site was kept clear throughout the operation, and all personnel are safe and present," the statement continued. "Our Starbase team is actively working to secure the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local authorities," and "there is no danger to residents of the surrounding communities .

Preliminary analyses indicate that a pressurized tank rupture was the probable cause of the explosion that destroyed the upper stage of SpaceX's Starship rocket on June 18, shortly after 06:00 Italian time: Elon Musk's company reported in a note published on its website. The accident occurred while liquid methane and oxygen were being loaded into the vehicle, which, following the tank rupture, would have mixed together and caught fire instantly.

There were actually two explosions : the first, in the upper part of the vehicle , triggered by the mixing of the propellant , and the other a few seconds later , when the rest of the propellant inside also caught fire . The test that the technicians were about to carry out is part of the common pre-launch tests , in which the rocket engines are briefly ignited while the vehicle remains anchored to the ground .

SpaceX has already conducted a similar test on this vehicle, although in that case only one engine was involved: this second test was supposed to see all six Raptor engines ignite . The tank involved is a special type of container covered in carbon fiber , which makes it much lighter than steel ones. The company has stressed, however, that the tanks installed on Starship and the SuperHeavy rocket have nothing in common with those used on Falcon rockets.

The accident continues a string of failures in the three Starship test flights conducted so far this year, and represents a significant setback for the program: not only was one of the vehicles lost, but the facility used to perform the tests necessary for the flights was also severely damaged. The tenth test flight was scheduled for June 29, but will likely be pushed back significantly at this point.