Polydakmd, its owner, owned by its owner, experienced a new failure last night due to the explosion of his giant missile, Starship, while he was on the launch platform for a trial at Starbase, Texas, without any injuries.
“On Wednesday at 23:01 (local time), during Starbase static testing, Texas, SpaceX’s Starship 36 showed catastrophic damage and exploded,” Cameron County Authorities (Texas) said on their Facebook page.
“Fortunately, no injuries have been announced so far,” they said. “Emergency protocols have been implemented quickly and investigation is being carried out to identify the causes of the incident.”
In a video broadcast by social media, the rocket looks like an apartment building about 40 floors and the most powerful ever built – on its launching platform and then a giant fiery sphere to wrap it.
Close Detailed Video of the SpaceX Starship Explosion from 1.8 miles Starbase, TX
4K version will be available shortly in the other place.Some animals in the foreground, a safe distance away, but scared for sure!
📽️ – Andrew C (Rocket Future)
— Andrew C – Rocket Future (@TheRocketFuture)
“Starship, preparing for his tenth test, presented a major anomaly while on a Starbase test platform,” SpaceX confirmed in a message on X, stating that a “seat belt had been created around the site and maintained throughout the business” and “all the time”.
“Our Starbase team is working actively to guarantee the safety of testing and surrounding area in collaboration with local authorities,” the company added, which assures that “there is no risk to residents”.
Static trigger tests are part of the procedures that precede a launch: a rocket engine or a set of engines are then operational, while the vehicle remains stable on the launch platform. The rocket was not scheduled to launch yesterday, Wednesday, in the evening, when the explosion occurred.
The accident is another blow to SpaceX image, although accidents are part of the course in the strategy announced by the company: to launch many original space vehicles to correct the problems that arise.
The previous accident was less than a month ago. On May 27, Starship managed to get out of space, but its carrier, the Super Heavy rocket, had exploded before returning, as it was scheduled, to Earth.
During two previous tests, in January and March, the upper floor had exploded at the beginning of the flight, causing rain fragments over the Caribbean and very little damage.
