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A SpaceX rocket has exploded in flames during testing in TexasThe incident happened around 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 18, while the spacecraft was preparing for its 10th test flight”The Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” SpaceX said in a post on X
A SpaceX rocket has exploded in flames during testing in Texas.
In footage shared by NasaSpaceFlight.com on X on Wednesday, June 18, the rocket could be seen exploding while at Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site in southern Texas, sending a massive fireball into the sky.
SpaceX said the Starship rocket “experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase” while it was preparing for its 10th flight test in a post on X.
“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the post continued. “Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials.”
The company went on to say there are “no hazards to residents in surrounding communities.” “We ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,” the post concluded.
The incident happened around 11 p.m. local time.
Elon Musk, who is the founder and CEO of SpaceX, has not commented separately on the incident.
It’s not the first time a SpaceX rocket has experienced problems during testing.
On May 27, the Starship’s ninth flight test did not go to plan after liftoff at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, while the vehicle successfully reached the Earth’s orbit, an apparent propellant leak caused a loss of altitude. According to ABC Newsthe spacecraft began spinning and mission control could no longer control it.
Debris from the rocket fell into the Indian Ocean, per The New York Times.
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Two months earlier, Starship’s eighth flight test ended in another rocket explosion, which led planes to be grounded at several Florida airports. The rocket exploded after liftoff in Texas on March 6. (Its seventh test flight, which took place in January, also ended in an explosion.)
Starship is part of 53-year-old Musk’s latest step toward his goal of sending humans to Mars by 2026.
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