In a major setback for Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Starship program, its newest prototype, Ship 36, exploded in a huge fireball during a key engine test at the company’s Starbase site in South Texas.
The incident, which occurred just after 11 pm local time, was caught on multiple livestreams and left the aerospace community shocked.
The project is an important step for Elon Musk’s visionary ideas around Mars colonization and it is not clear if the explosion could delay the ongoing plans.
Elon Musk reacted to the explosion with calm as some pictures emerged where he can be seen standing near the wreckage of the starship.
“Just a scratch,” Elon Musk said in a short post on X. In another post, Elon Musk accepted that they have “room for improvement.”
Just a scratch
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SpaceX starship explosion: How it happened?
As per the reports, the SpaceX engineers were getting Ship 36 ready for a static fire test, a key step before what would have been its tenth test flight, when disaster struck.
The anomaly occurred when the engineers were loading the rocket’s tanks with liquid methane and liquid oxygen.
The shockwaves of the explosion were very strong as they blew apart the rocket and left the test stand heavily damaged.
SpaceX confirmed that all personnel were safe and accounted for and emphasized that safety protocols had been followed and there was no danger to nearby residents.
As the agencies investigate the cause behind the explosion, the company has asked the general public to avoid the area.
Elon Musk and his Mars plans under scrutiny
While Elon Musk may have tagged the massive explosion as “just a scratch,” questions will be raised about the future of his ambitious Mars colonization project.
The explosion is a fresh blow to SpaceX’s Starship program, which sits at the heart of the company’s ambitions to send people and cargo to the Moon and Mars.
Starship, paired with its massive Super Heavy booster, is designed to be fully reusable and capable of carrying large payloads and crews deep into space.
Elon Musk is getting the support of the administration as recently the FAA approved more frequent Starship launches, and SpaceX was aiming for June 29 for the next big test flight.
NASA’s additional pressure
The explosion is not just bad news for Elon Musk but for NASA too as the space agency is preparing SpaceX Starship for some high-profile missions.
NASA’s Artemis III lunar landing, which is tentatively scheduled for 2027 was among the major projects that may face hurdles.
SpaceX has always embraced a “fail fast, learn fast” philosophy, and that approach has helped the company make big leaps in rocket technology over the years.
Still, the loss of Ship 36 is a stark reminder of just how risky and unpredictable this work can be.
How quickly SpaceX bounce back from this setback and figure out what went wrong will be crucial if it wants to keep up the pace toward its big goals.
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