SpaceX Starship explodes again – leaving Elon Musk’s dream of reaching Mars in ruins
The world’s most powerful rocket has had yet another setback after exploding into a giant fireball during a routine test. The SpaceX Starship burst into a flames at Elon Musk’s Starbase test site in Texas at 11pm local time (5am in the UK) (Picture: NASASpaceflight)
The Starship is all part of Musk’s dream to send humans to Mars, but its flights have all broken apart in mid-air. This time, the rocket had not even left the ground but was undergoing a static fire test (Picture: NASA SpaceFlight)
Video shows its nose suddenly bursting open with a huge ball of fire and smoke erupting from the blast. A static fire test is a pre-flight procedure where the rocket’s engines are ignited while the vehicle is bolted to the launch mount (Picture: NASA SpaceFlight)
SpaceX said their Starship 36 rocket had suffered a ‘major anomaly’, but that ‘all personnel are safe and accounted for’. They added: ‘Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials (Picture: NASA)
‘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.’ However a loud rumble from the blast was felt by nearby residents, who reported their windows shaking and dishes rattling, according to ValleyCentral (Picture: NASA SpaceFlight)
The Texas blast comes weeks after a Starship crash landed moments after take-off. The rocket did reach space on May 27, but it began spinning soon afterwards and went out of control towards a crash landing in the sea. Its payload could also not be released because the door failed to open all the way. SpaceX boss Elon Musk said it was still a ‘big improvement’ on the last launches, which ended with flaming debris dramatically raining down from the sky over the Atlantic (Picture: AP)
Despite the setback, Mr Musk promised a faster pace in future with a Starship lifting off every three to four weeks for the next three flights. The powerful rockets are a key part of Nasa’s plans to return humans to the Moon this decade, as well as potentially get to Mars after that (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)
