Dramatic scenes as Elon Musk's rocket explodes during test
One of Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets has exploded into flames during a routine static fire test.
Terrifying scenes were captured in a live stream of the Starship 36 rocket's test in Texas at about 11pm Wednesday night (local time).
The starship was seen bursting into a massive ball of angry red flames at Massey's Testing Center, shocking commentators watching the livestream.
'Woah! No!' one is heard saying in the video above.
'Oh … my god,' another is heard saying as a mushroom cloud rises into the night sky.
'Ship 36 just blew up.'
Locals experienced a loud rumble that shook windows and rattled dishes, news site Valley Central reported.
SpaceX addressed the explosion in a statement posted to X.
'At approximately 11pm. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,' the company said.
No personnel were injured in the explosion, it added, because a safety area meant everyone was moved away from the zone prior to the test.
'Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials,' the statement read.
The company said there was no risk to locals and asked for people to stay away from the area.
'We ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,' it said.
The explosion unfolded during the rocket's second static fire test, which serves as a measure to replicate launch conditions and test the engine reliability.
It's expected that Starship's anticipated tenth test flight will be pushed back because of the explosion.
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