SpaceX's latest Starship prototype exploded just after an engine test Friday (May 29), erupting in a dramatic fireball at the spaceflight company's South Texas proving grounds.
The Starship SN4 prototype exploded at about 1:49 p.m. CDT (2:49 p.m. EDT/1849 GMT) at SpaceX's test facility near Boca Chica, Texas according to a video provided by the South Padre Island tourism site SPadre.com. The explosion occurred about a minute after a short test of its Raptor rocket engine, but it was unclear what caused the conflagration.
SpaceX successfully test-fired the Starship SN4 vehicle yesterday as part of its preparations for an upcoming launch test that could have carried the rocket about 500 feet (150 meters) up. That same day, SpaceX received a launch license for its Starship tests from the Federal Aviation Administration.
As its name suggests, the Starship SN4 vehicle is the latest in a series of stainless steel prototypes SpaceX has built to test technologies required for a truly massive space launch system: the 165-foot-tall (50 meters) Starship rocket and its Super Heavy megabooster. That vehicle is the one SpaceX hopes will carry up to 100 people at a time to space and, eventually, on to Mars.
Last month, NASA picked SpaceX's Starship as one of three commercial spacecraft that could land astronauts on the moon for the agency's Artemis program in 2024.
While several of the Starship prototypes of exploded, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the company is committed to learning from each test and forging ahead.
The company's first prototype, the Starship Mk1, was destroyed during a pressure test in November 2019. Its successor SN1 was lost in similar test in February. The next iteration, SN2, successfully passed that pressure test in March. The SN3 prototype, meanwhile, collapsed during testing in April. Musk later said that leaky valves were the culprit and that it would be fixed on the next vehicle.
The Starship SN4 was by far the longest-lived and most-tested Starship prototype to date. Today's static-fire engine test was the fifth for the vehicle, the most of any to date.
SpaceX was already building another Starship prototype, the SN5, at the time of today's SN4 failure. That vehicle will likely take center stage for the company's next round of tests.
SpaceX's Starship SN4 explosion comes as the company is counting down to another major launch on a different rocket.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocketand Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in a historic test flight.
The mission, called Demo-2, is currently set to launch no earlier than Saturday (May 30) at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be SpaceX's first human spaceflight, and the first orbital crewed launch from the United States since NASA's space shuttle fleet retired in July 2011.
Bad weather prevented the Demo-2 mission's initial launch attempt on Wednesday (May 27). SpaceX has backup days on through Sunday (May 30) before likely standing down for a few days, NASA officials have said.
The Starship SN4 prototype exploded at about 1:49 p.m. CDT (2:49 p.m. EDT/1849 GMT) at SpaceX's test facility near Boca Chica, Texas according to a video provided by the South Padre Island tourism site SPadre.com. The explosion occurred about a minute after a short test of its Raptor rocket engine, but it was unclear what caused the conflagration.
SpaceX successfully test-fired the Starship SN4 vehicle yesterday as part of its preparations for an upcoming launch test that could have carried the rocket about 500 feet (150 meters) up. That same day, SpaceX received a launch license for its Starship tests from the Federal Aviation Administration.
As its name suggests, the Starship SN4 vehicle is the latest in a series of stainless steel prototypes SpaceX has built to test technologies required for a truly massive space launch system: the 165-foot-tall (50 meters) Starship rocket and its Super Heavy megabooster. That vehicle is the one SpaceX hopes will carry up to 100 people at a time to space and, eventually, on to Mars.
A Starship prototype just exploded in Boca Chica, Texas during static fire testing. SpaceX was granted an FAA license yesterday to conduct suborbital flights, not sure when those first test flights will happen. Video/live feed from @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/dqnQv1lqBV— Joey Roulette (@joroulette) May 29, 2020
I covered a @SpaceX launch in 2015 that ended with a midair explosion, obliterating the science projects of some local elementary school kids— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) May 29, 2020
When reporters asked how much tax payer money we just saw blow up, we were told they didn’t have to tell us bc SpaceX is private https://t.co/Aj4KZct48t
Last month, NASA picked SpaceX's Starship as one of three commercial spacecraft that could land astronauts on the moon for the agency's Artemis program in 2024.
While several of the Starship prototypes of exploded, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the company is committed to learning from each test and forging ahead.
The company's first prototype, the Starship Mk1, was destroyed during a pressure test in November 2019. Its successor SN1 was lost in similar test in February. The next iteration, SN2, successfully passed that pressure test in March. The SN3 prototype, meanwhile, collapsed during testing in April. Musk later said that leaky valves were the culprit and that it would be fixed on the next vehicle.
The Starship SN4 was by far the longest-lived and most-tested Starship prototype to date. Today's static-fire engine test was the fifth for the vehicle, the most of any to date.
SpaceX was already building another Starship prototype, the SN5, at the time of today's SN4 failure. That vehicle will likely take center stage for the company's next round of tests.
Holy crap! SpaceX was testing a Starship prototype with a short static fire (a 2-second locked down firing of the engine) and it looked like it went well, and then this happened. https://t.co/XaRoFnkm8z— Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) May 29, 2020
SpaceX was doing a "static fire" test on a prototype for their Starship rocket, which is under development as a vehicle for voyages to the Moon & Mars, and the prototype exploded. Important to note: this vehicle and test are unrelated to #CrewDragon, scheduled to launch tomorrow. https://t.co/2tk2BxIaQU— Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) May 29, 2020
SpaceX's Starship SN4 explosion comes as the company is counting down to another major launch on a different rocket.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocketand Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in a historic test flight.
The mission, called Demo-2, is currently set to launch no earlier than Saturday (May 30) at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be SpaceX's first human spaceflight, and the first orbital crewed launch from the United States since NASA's space shuttle fleet retired in July 2011.
Bad weather prevented the Demo-2 mission's initial launch attempt on Wednesday (May 27). SpaceX has backup days on through Sunday (May 30) before likely standing down for a few days, NASA officials have said.
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