SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes During Pressure Test

SpaceX’s first Starship rocket exploded during a pressure test. The rocket was fully loaded with nitrogen in the first test that looked at how the rocket could handle that pressure. Halfway through refueling, the spacecraft exploded.

It is not yet known what caused the explosion. SpaceX is still investigating this. Footage shows how a white plume of smoke suddenly forms somewhere in the top layer of the rocket, after which a shot blows from that part of the rocket. The part of the rocket that has blown up is the fuel tank, the main part of the Starship rocket. However, it was not fully assembled at the time of testing. SpaceX first showed the rocket at the end of September. Since then, the spacecraft has been at SpaceX’s headquarters in Boca Chica, Texas.

The rocket that exploded is the first prototype of SpaceX’s Starship fleet. That rocket will be the successor to the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, the company’s current rockets. The now-exploded rocket was expected to make its first suborbital flight soon. That would be the Starship’s first serious flight. However, in a statement after the blast, SpaceX said that was not the intention at all and that another prototype would make its maiden flight. According to the company, the explosion does not mean that that flight will be postponed. “There were no injuries, and this is not a serious setback.” The company also said in a statement that the purpose of the test was to test the pressure systems to the maximum. “So this result is not entirely unexpected.”