SpaceX Starship explodes during routine pre-launch ground test
For more on this story: https://sc.mp/56fd73
A huge blast enveloped a SpaceX Starship as it stood upright on a test stand, sending massive plumes of flames and smoke mushrooming into the night sky. The June 18, 2025, incident shook windows and rattled dishes, according to local media reports. The rocket appeared to be undergoing a 'static fire test' of its engines, a routine pre-launch procedure in which a rocket's engines are fired while the rocket remains securely held down on the ground. The rehearsal for an actual launch allows engineers to test rocket systems before they head into space. The incident adds to a series of prior setbacks and launch failures that have dampened Elon Musk's space ambitions, which include missions to Mars.
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South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
SpaceX Starship explodes during routine pre-launch ground test
For more on this story: A huge blast enveloped a SpaceX Starship as it stood upright on a test stand, sending massive plumes of flames and smoke mushrooming into the night sky. The June 18, 2025, incident shook windows and rattled dishes, according to local media reports. The rocket appeared to be undergoing a 'static fire test' of its engines, a routine pre-launch procedure in which a rocket's engines are fired while the rocket remains securely held down on the ground. The rehearsal for an actual launch allows engineers to test rocket systems before they head into space. The incident adds to a series of prior setbacks and launch failures that have dampened Elon Musk's space ambitions, which include missions to Mars.
South China Morning Post
21 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
SpaceX Starship explodes in setback to Elon Musk's Mars mission
A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded on a test stand in Texas, adding to a series of setbacks to Elon Musk's space ambitions that include trips to Mars. The huge blast enveloped the craft as it stood upright on a test stand, before massive plumes of flames and smoke mushroomed into the night sky, video footage of the incident late Wednesday showed. The incident shook windows and rattled dishes, according to local media reports. The rocket appeared to be undergoing a routine 'static fire test' of its engines. A static fire test is a pre-launch procedure in which a rocket's engines are fired while the rocket remains securely held down on the ground – essentially a rehearsal for the real launch, allowing engineers to test the rocket's systems without actually sending it into space. Musk said on social media that a specialised bottle that holds nitrogen is likely to have failed. 'If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design,' he said.
RTHK
a day ago
- RTHK
Starship explodes in blow to 10th test flight hopes
Starship explodes in blow to 10th test flight hopes A SpaceX Starship launches in May on its ninth test flight but the Super Heavy first-stage booster blew up instead of splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. File photo: Reuters One of tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test late on Wednesday in Texas, law enforcement said, adding that no one was injured. The Starship 36 suffered "catastrophic failure and exploded" at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11pm, or noon Hong Kong time on Thursday, a Facebook post by the Cameron County authorities said. Musk's SpaceX said the rocket was preparing for the 10th flight test when it "experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase". "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," SpaceX added on social media. "There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while operations continue." Starbase on the south Texas coast, near the border with Mexico, is the headquarters for Musk's space project. Standing 123 metres tall, Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket and central to Musk's long-term vision of colonising Mars. The latest setback follows an explosion of a prototype Starship over the Indian Ocean in late May. The biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built had lifted off on May 27 from the Starbase facility, but the first-stage Super Heavy booster blew up instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The previous two outings also ended poorly, with the upper stage disintegrating over the Caribbean. (AFP)
