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Digital Trends
10 hours ago
- Science
- Digital Trends
These 6 rocket explosions show how SpaceX likes to roll
The upper-stage of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket exploded in a massive fireball at its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas, on Wednesday night. No one was hurt in the incident. The vehicle was being prepared for the 10th flight test of the most powerful rocket in the world, which also includes the first-stage Super Heavy booster. Recommended Videos The dramatic explosion highlights SpaceX's bold, iterative approach to rocket testing that views anomalies as a learning opportunity rather than an outright failure. Instead of relying solely on simulations or lengthy design reviews, the spaceflight company — founded by Elon Musk in 2002 — prefers to rapidly build and test rocket parts, using gathered data to refine future designs. The approach means that spectacular events like the one involving the Starship on Wednesday are to be expected. SpaceX's controversial approach is designed to accelerate development by uncovering complex issues early on. It's important to note that almost all of the tests are uncrewed and designed to minimize risk while maximizing insight to push a project forward. In stark contrast, NASA prioritizes safety and reliability, while also considering potential political challenges, especially after past disasters like those involving the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia. The different approach means that NASA's development cycles are slower and more cautious, with strict oversight and procurement rules that make rapid iteration difficult. Unlike SpaceX, the U.S. space agency doesn't aim to move fast or mass-produce rockets, instead focusing on things like long-term research and human safety. Critics have argued that SpaceX's so-called 'fail fast, learn faster' approach poses risks to both safety and the environment, especially when testing near populated areas or delicate ecosystems. Some worry that moving so fast could also put workers at risk and make it harder for regulators to ensure safety. Whether you like its approach or not, SpaceX seems intent on continuing as usual, learning what it can when it all goes wrong. Below are six videos demonstrating just how SpaceX likes to roll … Starship, 2025 First up, the spectacular explosion that destroyed a Starship rocket on June 18, 2025. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described the incident as 'just a scratch.' Falcon 9, 2016 The Falcon 9 rocket is now SpaceX's workhorse vehicle, carrying out almost all of its missions to orbit, including crewed flights to and from the International Space Station. But it wasn't always so reliable. This incident happened during a routine static-fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket, which was preparing to launch a communications satellite. Starship, 2021 In high-altitude testing of the upper-stage Starship spacecraft, the vehicle reached an altitude of about 6.2 miles (10 km). But after successfully performing several planned maneuvers during its six-minute entirely solo flight, the vehicle didn't slow down enough and failed to achieve the correct orientation for landing. Falcon 9, 2015 This Falcon 9 rocket exploded about two minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, destroying a Dragon cargo ship bound for the space station. The failure was put down to a faulty steel strut in the liquid oxygen tank that broke under stress, causing a helium vessel to break free and rupture the tank. Starship, 2023 During the Starship's first-ever integrated flight test in April 2023, the rocket experienced multiple engine failures and ultimately lost control, leading to its intentional destruction before reaching orbit. Prior to launch, Musk had tempered expectations by saying the 120-meter-tall rocket only had a 50% chance of reaching orbit. Falcon 9, 2015 A key part of SpaceX's spaceflight system is the ability to reuse rockets, which means landing them back on Earth after carrying a crew or payload to orbit. While it's now perfected the maneuver with the Falcon 9's first-stage booster, there were a lot of failures in the early days. Here's one of them. A compilation of SpaceX rocket disasters In 2017, Elon Musk posted a compilation video showing numerous SpaceX rocket disasters as its engineers continued to develop the technology.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Musk On Starship Blast: 'Just a Scratch'
A dramatic explosion rocked SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, late Wednesday night. The company's newest Starship prototype erupted in flames during a 'static fire' test. No injuries were reported. According to a statement posted by SpaceX on social media, the company confirmed that the rocket, known as Ship 36 and designated for the highly anticipated tenth Starship test flight, suffered a 'major anomaly' while still secured on the test stand around 11 p.m. local time. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for. Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities,' SpaceX continued. The explosion, captured live on several webcams run by various enthusiasts, including a clear video post by X user 'ai_for_success', was shared across social media, eliciting a spectrum of reactions ranging from concern and questions to sheer awe. Another clip shared by the Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Office showed thick smoke billowing from the Texas test site as startled observers reacted in real time. Starship is, or was, SpaceX's next-generation heavy-lift rocket system — a crucial part of Elon Musk's plans for long-range space missions, including potential crewed flights to the Moon and Mars. Wednesday's explosion marks another setback in the Starship development timeline, though SpaceX has consistently emphasized a test-heavy, fail-forward approach. CEO Elon Musk appeared unfazed by the starships' explosion, taking to X early Thursday morning to post a brief comment: 'Just a scratch.' Explosive test failures have long been part of the company's development plan and have eventually produced historic successes like the Falcon 9 reusable rockets, as previously covered by DX. With its huge modern stainless-steel frame and ability to carry humans and cargo beyond Earth's orbit, SpaceX and its Starship launches remain a leader of America's private-sector space exploration, even if the journey includes some fiery missteps. The missteps themselves, even explosive launches, can offer crucial failure data or other extreme testing limits to Musk and his team. Therefore, they are not a failure but more of a research run. SpaceX has yet to confirm the extent of the damage to the test site and launchpad or when launch operations will resume as of Thursday afternoon.
Digital Trends
14 hours ago
- Science
- Digital Trends
SpaceX suggests potential cause of huge Starship explosion
SpaceX has offered an update on the massive explosion which destroyed the Starship spacecraft on a test stand on Wednesday. The dramatic explosion took place at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas, during preparations for the Starship rocket's 10th test flight, which was expected to take place in the coming weeks. No one was reported killed or injured in the incident. To be clear, the Starship vehicle comprises the upper-stage Starship spacecraft and the first-stage Super Heavy booster, and it was the upper-stage spacecraft that blew up. In a statement shared on Thursday, SpaceX shared some more details about what happened. 'After completing a single-engine static fire earlier this week, the vehicle was in the process of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fire when a sudden energetic event resulted in the complete loss of Starship and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand,' it said. 'The explosion ignited several fires at the test site which remains clear of personnel and will be assessed once it has been determined to be safe to approach.' The spaceflight company said that as for all of its rocket testing, a safety zone had been established around the test site and had been maintained throughout the operation, adding that there had been no reported injuries and all personnel had been accounted for. SpaceX confirmed that engineering teams are now actively investigating the incident and will follow established procedures to determine exactly what happened. It said that its initial analysis 'indicates the potential failure of a pressurized tank known as a COPV, or composite overwrapped pressure vessel, containing gaseous nitrogen in Starship's nosecone area,' but stressed that the full data review is ongoing. It added that there's no risk to its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket as it has a different design. While the explosion is clearly a setback for the Elon Musk-led company, its long-term impact remains to be seen. It's worth noting that SpaceX's development strategy embraces rapid iterative testing, a method that accepts failure as part of the process. The company has always said that such setbacks are expected during the development of complex new rockets and that it's committed to learning from each incident. The overall timeline for Starship's operational missions, including voyages to the moon and even Mars, may be affected, but the company is unlikely to abandon its ambitious goals.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's SpaceX's Umpteenth Mishap Tagged 'A Major Anomaly'
Elon Musk's plans to explore space continue to be a far-fetched dream thanks to repeated technical problems. The SpaceX founder's Starship suffered another explosion, leaving many to wonder if his plans to visit Mars should be put to rest. Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, experienced its latest incident on Wednesday, June 18, at the Texas Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach. Musk's SpaceX foundation confirmed the explosion on X, revealing the shocking mishap happened at approximately 11 p.m. CT. "The Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase," they explained. "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation, and all personnel are safe and accounted for. Our Starbase team is actively working to save the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials," the message continued. Musk's company confirmed that the residents in surrounding communities were not harmed. Nonetheless, they warned people not to approach the explosion area until their safety operations were completed. TMZ shared a video capturing the incident, showing the rocket exploding into a fiery flame upon take-off. According to reports, residents miles from the Texas Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach felt the powerful explosion. The list included someone in Brownsville, about 22 miles from the testing site, who captured and posted about the eruption on social media. Although SpaceX claimed their tenth launch test failure was a "major anomaly," it wasn't the first time their Starship had exploded. Musk's company's 7th and 8th launch tests also ended in terrifying explosions, with the most recent incident occurring last month. The Starship rocket, hyped by the company as the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, exploded upon re-entry into orbit. Given the multiple mishaps, many wondered if Musk was in over his head with his space exploration plans. Many shared their thoughts about Musk's latest mishap underneath the SpaceX announcement, having mixed feelings about his company's goals. "What an absolute failure. Good luck securing more public funding for more failures like this in the future," a critic penned. "Honestly, the 'fail fast' thing is kinda overrated... SpaceX just has crazy funding to blow stuff up lol," another critic claimed. A third wondered if the "anomaly" was sabotage, while others implored Musk not to give up on his Mars conquest. "Data gathered is the most important thing. Otherwise minor setback," a fan declared. A fellow supporter echoed similar sentiments, writing, "Anomaly? Yes. Delay? Maybe. But if you're building a 9-million-pound rocket to colonize Mars and nothing blows up once in a while, you're not pushing hard enough. Starbase is safe. Starship is iterating. The mission is still a go." When Musk's Starship exploded in March, it caused multiple air travel disruptions. The Blast covered the story, reporting that the rocket blew up during a live stream of its test launch in Texas. The spacecraft's engines shut down shortly after the booster had been successfully retrieved at the launch tower. Dan Huot, SpaceX's communications manager, explained during the live broadcast that the loss of engine power had resulted in the loss of the spacecraft's altitude control. The situation escalated as the rocket began to spin, ending in a complete loss of communication and subsequent explosion. During the incident, multiple media sources reported that flights from Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport experienced delays due to debris from a space launch. Smaller airports in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando, Florida, were also affected. Musk's SpaceX company wasn't the only foundation experiencing delays in its plans, with the tech billionaire's Austin factory suffering multiple closures. According to Business Insider, Tesla informed workers in a meeting early this month that the company would shut down its Cybertruck production. The pause in production is reportedly scheduled to begin the week of June 30 and is expected to resume the following week. During the shutdown, employees could use their paid time off or attend voluntary training and participate in cleaning activities. However, this was not the first time the Austin factory had closed its doors. Tesla shut down the production of Cybertruck and Model Y lines in late May to hold a voluntary training for its Austin factory employees. The training reportedly included seminars on improving the work culture at the factory. Another production pause occurred last December over a battery supply issue. Will Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship achieve successful test launches without more explosions?
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX Starship explodes on Texas launch site
SpaceX's Starship exploded Wednesday night during a test at SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Around 11 p.m. local time Wednesday, "the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase," SpaceX said in a post on X. "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," the company said. "Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue The rocket's explosion was caught on camera by several livestreams of Starbase. White House Reviewing Spacex Contracts As Trump-musk Spat Loses Steam: Report Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 shared a NASASpaceflight stream on his Facebook page. Read On The Fox Business App "Whoa! Whoa! No," a man can be heard saying once the explosion happened. "Oh, my God." The caption at the bottom of the stream read: "SpaceX is expected to perform a static fire test of ship 36. The second in this series of testing for flight 10." How Much Have Musk's Tesla And Spacex Benefited From Government Funds? Click Here To Read More On Fox Business SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to shrug off the incident in a post on X Thursday morning. "Just a scratch," he article source: SpaceX Starship explodes on Texas launch site
