A SpaceX rocket exploded Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky during a routine test for an upcoming launch in Texas.
The explosion was broadcast on a livestream of the SpaceX facility. In the footage, the fireball appears to come from the top of Starship 36 before the entire screen turns white due to the brightness of the explosion.
After that, a large fire was seen at the site, along with scattered debris around the test site area, while the fire continued to burn for two hours following the explosion.
SpaceX said the Starship rocket “experienced a major anomaly” at about 11 p.m. while on the test stand preparing for the 10th flight test at Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site in Texas.
“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX said in a statement on X. “Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials.”
The Elon Musk-led company added that there are “no hazards to residents in surrounding communities.” It also warned people not to approach the area while it was conducting safety operations with local officials at the test site and surrounding area.
After the explosion, SpaceX CEO Musk took to X and wrote, “Just a scratch.”
He also shared a post saying, “RIP Ship 36,” with a meme of a man watching the explosion attached.
Wednesday night’s explosion is the latest setback for SpaceX following multiple failed launches of its Starship rocket.
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In May, the Starship rocket was launched on its ninth expedition and briefly left the Earth’s atmosphere before spinning out of control and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
Musk had planned to launch eight simulator satellites following liftoff, which did not happen because the spacecraft’s doors failed to open fully. Shortly after, it began to spin out of control.
The company later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” adding in an online statement that its team “will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.”
Despite its scattered descent into the Indian Ocean, the organization said Starship’s ninth flight test “marked a major milestone for reuse with the first flight-proven Super Heavy booster launching from Starbase, and once more returned Starship to space,” adding that data reviews were underway as staff prepared for its next launch.
There was also a late-stage explosion during SpaceX’s eighth test flight of its Starship rocket in March, leaving a barrage of blazing shrapnel visible in the skies that disrupted air traffic.
The first-stage booster landed safely back at the launch pad shortly after takeoff. Minutes later, the rocket’s engines lost power, sending the vessel into an uncontrollable spin that the company said was caused by “an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship (which) resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines.”
The rocket reached nearly 150 kilometres in altitude before it ran into trouble. Ground crews lost communication with the vessel about nine-and-a-half minutes after lift-off, SpaceX confirmed.
Flights were temporarily grounded at Orlando International Airport as a result of the explosion.
In January, SpaceX launched its seventh test flight of the Starship rocket, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a booster catch back at the pad.
SpaceX said Starship broke apart, calling it a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” The rocket appeared to lift off from SpaceX’s launchpad at its Starbase facility but eight-and-a-half minutes into the mission, ground control announced that it had lost all communication with the ship.
Flights near the Turks and Caicos Islands were spotted diverting to avoid the debris from the explosion and footage was shared of debris falling from the sky in the area.
Musk shared a video of the debris falling, writing, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
— With files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman and The Associated Press
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