Late Wednesday evening at about 11PM CT, SpaceX was about to carry out a static fireplace take a look at of Ship 36, forward of a deliberate tenth flight take a look at for its Starship, when there was out of the blue an enormous explosion on the Massey’s Testing Middle website. SpaceX says “A security clear space across the website was maintained all through the operation and all personnel are secure and accounted for,” and that there are not any hazards to residents within the space of its lately included city of Starbase, Texas.
“After finishing a single-engine static fireplace earlier this week, the car was within the means of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fireplace when a sudden energetic occasion resulted within the full lack of Starship and harm to the speedy space surrounding the stand,” in keeping with an replace on SpaceX’s web site. “The explosion ignited a number of fires on the take a look at website which stays away from personnel and shall be assessed as soon as it has been decided to be secure to method. People mustn’t try to method the realm whereas safing operations proceed.”
The explosion follows others through the seventh, eighth, and ninth Starship flight exams earlier this yr. “Preliminary evaluation signifies the potential failure of a pressurized tank generally known as a COPV, or composite overwrapped stress vessel, containing gaseous nitrogen in Starship’s nosecone space, however the full knowledge evaluation is ongoing,” SpaceX says. On X, the corporate known as the explosion a “main anomaly.”
Fox 26 Houston says that, in keeping with authorities, there have been no accidents reported. SpaceX additionally says no accidents have been reported.
This flight take a look at would’ve continued utilizing SpaceX’s “V2” Starship design, which Musk stated in 2023, “holds extra propellant, reduces dry mass and improves reliability.” SpaceX can be getting ready a brand new V3 design that, in keeping with Musk, was monitoring towards a price of launching as soon as per week in about 12 months.
Replace, June nineteenth: Added info from SpaceX.
