Latest news with #rocketlaunch
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets keep blowing up at the worst possible time
As Elon Musk returns his focus to his businesses, one of his most important companies just had another setback: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in an immense fireball Wednesday during a routine ground test. The explosion marks the fourth failure in a row for SpaceX's Starship, all while Musk's other companies and his personal brand struggle to recover after his foray into politics. Starship is supposed to help reach NASA's goal of bringing American astronauts back to the moon by 2027: The US space agency is paying SpaceX up to about $4 billion for the mission. Although SpaceX has said that the last three launches before Wednesday's explosions were successful in testing some elements, all ended in mid-flight failures. SpaceX has long made the case that failures during the testing and development phase are not the harbingers of disaster they may seem. The company embraces a design philosophy called 'rapid iterative development' that emphasizes building relatively low-cost prototypes and launching frequent test flights. SpaceX believes the approach allows the company to hash out rocket designs faster and at cheaper price points than relying on slower, more methodical engineering approaches that can guarantee a vehicle's success. But the very fiery Starship explosion comes as Musk has been trying to restore his reputation as he returned to focus on his businesses after a controversial stint in the Trump administration. After several months as a top White House adviser and leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk is now taking a step back from full-time government work refocusing his time on his companies, including Tesla, which has struggled in part as a result of Musk's alliance with the Trump administration. Upon his return, Musk has sought to promote an image of safety and reliability at Tesla, which is aiming to launch its driverless robotaxis in Austin on Sunday – although the initial phase is expected to be limited less than two dozen cars and Musk has warned the date could shift. But before the launch, a group of Texas lawmakers have asked Tesla to delay the roll out of its robotaxi service until September, citing a new law on autonomous driving set to take effect. And Tesla's share price slipped this week, before recovering somewhat, following a report from Business Insider that the company plans to pause production on Cybertruck and Model Y lines for a week at its Austin factory for maintenance, the third such shutdown this year. And in Europe, where Tesla sales have been plunging, Chinese car maker BYD sold more pure battery electric vehicles over Tesla in Europe for the first time, according to a report from JATO, an automotive market research firm. Musk also has his work cut out for him at his AI company, xAI. Bloomberg reported the company 'is burning through $1 billion a month' as the cost of building out its AI model 'races ahead of the limited revenues.' Musk brushed off the report. 'Bloomberg is talking nonsense,' he posted on X in response. Musk also publicly disputed his own AI chatbot Grok, when it posted a fact check about politically motivated violence, noting that 'Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly.' That response lines up with most publicly available data. But Musk didn't agree. 'Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.' he posted. Musk seems to be brushing off the setbacks, especially with SpaceX. He said last month that he hoped Starship would make its inaugural flight to Mars by the end of next year — a target that looks increasingly unlikely to be met. 'Just a scratch,' he posted after Starship's explosion before posting 'RIP Ship 36' and memes. When a user asked Musk's chatbot Grok why Musk was posting memes, Grok responded 'The timing suggests it's likely a humorous comment on the SpaceX Starship explosion that occurred on June 18, rather than targeting a specific person. Musk often uses memes to downplay such setbacks.' Musk responded with a bullseye emoji.
CNN
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- CNN
Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets keep blowing up at the worst possible time
As Elon Musk returns his focus to his businesses, one of his most important companies just had another setback: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in an immense fireball Wednesday during a routine ground test. The explosion marks the fourth failure in a row for SpaceX's Starship, all while Musk's other companies and his personal brand struggle to recover after his foray into politics. Starship is supposed to help reach NASA's goal of bringing American astronauts back to the moon by 2027: The US space agency is paying SpaceX up to about $4 billion for the mission. Although SpaceX has said that the last three launches before Wednesday's explosions were successful in testing some elements, all ended in mid-flight failures. SpaceX has long made the case that failures during the testing and development phase are not the harbingers of disaster they may seem. The company embraces a design philosophy called 'rapid iterative development' that emphasizes building relatively low-cost prototypes and launching frequent test flights. SpaceX believes the approach allows the company to hash out rocket designs faster and at cheaper price points than relying on slower, more methodical engineering approaches that can guarantee a vehicle's success. But the very fiery Starship explosion comes as Musk has been trying to restore his reputation as he returned to focus on his businesses after a controversial stint in the Trump administration. After several months as a top White House adviser and leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk is now taking a step back from full-time government work refocusing his time on his companies, including Tesla, which has struggled in part as a result of Musk's alliance with the Trump administration. Upon his return, Musk has sought to promote an image of safety and reliability at Tesla, which is aiming to launch its driverless robotaxis in Austin on Sunday – although the initial phase is expected to be limited less than two dozen cars and Musk has warned the date could shift. But before the launch, a group of Texas lawmakers have asked Tesla to delay the roll out of its robotaxi service until September, citing a new law on autonomous driving set to take effect. And Tesla's share price slipped this week, before recovering somewhat, following a report from Business Insider that the company plans to pause production on Cybertruck and Model Y lines for a week at its Austin factory for maintenance, the third such shutdown this year. And in Europe, where Tesla sales have been plunging, Chinese car maker BYD sold more pure battery electric vehicles over Tesla in Europe for the first time, according to a report from JATO, an automotive market research firm. Musk also has his work cut out for him at his AI company, xAI. Bloomberg reported the company 'is burning through $1 billion a month' as the cost of building out its AI model 'races ahead of the limited revenues.' Musk brushed off the report. 'Bloomberg is talking nonsense,' he posted on X in response. Musk also publicly disputed his own AI chatbot Grok, when it posted a fact check about politically motivated violence, noting that 'Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly.' That response lines up with most publicly available data. But Musk didn't agree. 'Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.' he posted. Musk seems to be brushing off the setbacks, especially with SpaceX. He said last month that he hoped Starship would make its inaugural flight to Mars by the end of next year — a target that looks increasingly unlikely to be met. 'Just a scratch,' he posted after Starship's explosion before posting 'RIP Ship 36' and memes. When a user asked Musk's chatbot Grok why Musk was posting memes, Grok responded 'The timing suggests it's likely a humorous comment on the SpaceX Starship explosion that occurred on June 18, rather than targeting a specific person. Musk often uses memes to downplay such setbacks.' Musk responded with a bullseye emoji. CNN's Jackie Wattles contributed reporting.
CNN
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- CNN
Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets keep blowing up at the worst possible time
As Elon Musk returns his focus to his businesses, one of his most important companies just had another setback: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in an immense fireball Wednesday during a routine ground test. The explosion marks the fourth failure in a row for SpaceX's Starship, all while Musk's other companies and his personal brand struggle to recover after his foray into politics. Starship is supposed to help reach NASA's goal of bringing American astronauts back to the moon by 2027: The US space agency is paying SpaceX up to about $4 billion for the mission. Although SpaceX has said that the last three launches before Wednesday's explosions were successful in testing some elements, all ended in mid-flight failures. SpaceX has long made the case that failures during the testing and development phase are not the harbingers of disaster they may seem. The company embraces a design philosophy called 'rapid iterative development' that emphasizes building relatively low-cost prototypes and launching frequent test flights. SpaceX believes the approach allows the company to hash out rocket designs faster and at cheaper price points than relying on slower, more methodical engineering approaches that can guarantee a vehicle's success. But the very fiery Starship explosion comes as Musk has been trying to restore his reputation as he returned to focus on his businesses after a controversial stint in the Trump administration. After several months as a top White House adviser and leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk is now taking a step back from full-time government work refocusing his time on his companies, including Tesla, which has struggled in part as a result of Musk's alliance with the Trump administration. Upon his return, Musk has sought to promote an image of safety and reliability at Tesla, which is aiming to launch its driverless robotaxis in Austin on Sunday – although the initial phase is expected to be limited less than two dozen cars and Musk has warned the date could shift. But before the launch, a group of Texas lawmakers have asked Tesla to delay the roll out of its robotaxi service until September, citing a new law on autonomous driving set to take effect. And Tesla's share price slipped this week, before recovering somewhat, following a report from Business Insider that the company plans to pause production on Cybertruck and Model Y lines for a week at its Austin factory for maintenance, the third such shutdown this year. And in Europe, where Tesla sales have been plunging, Chinese car maker BYD sold more pure battery electric vehicles over Tesla in Europe for the first time, according to a report from JATO, an automotive market research firm. Musk also has his work cut out for him at his AI company, xAI. Bloomberg reported the company 'is burning through $1 billion a month' as the cost of building out its AI model 'races ahead of the limited revenues.' Musk brushed off the report. 'Bloomberg is talking nonsense,' he posted on X in response. Musk also publicly disputed his own AI chatbot Grok, when it posted a fact check about politically motivated violence, noting that 'Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly.' That response lines up with most publicly available data. But Musk didn't agree. 'Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.' he posted. Musk seems to be brushing off the setbacks, especially with SpaceX. He said last month that he hoped Starship would make its inaugural flight to Mars by the end of next year — a target that looks increasingly unlikely to be met. 'Just a scratch,' he posted after Starship's explosion before posting 'RIP Ship 36' and memes. When a user asked Musk's chatbot Grok why Musk was posting memes, Grok responded 'The timing suggests it's likely a humorous comment on the SpaceX Starship explosion that occurred on June 18, rather than targeting a specific person. Musk often uses memes to downplay such setbacks.' Musk responded with a bullseye emoji. CNN's Jackie Wattles contributed reporting.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX's Starship explodes in test, Musk calls it 'just a scratch'
June 19 (UPI) -- A SpaceX heavy-lift Starship launch vehicle exploded late Wednesday during a preflight procedure at Starbase in Texas as the company tested its upper stage. The company has not made public the cause of the explosion, and in a post on X, CEOI think Elon Musk called it "Just a scratch." The two-stage rocket exploded about 11 p.m. CDT Wednesday as it was preparing for its 10th flight, SpaceX said in a statement on X. Both X and SpaceX are owned by Elon Musk. The spaceship is composed of two reusable sections, the first-stage booster named Super Heavy and the upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship or just Ship. It was the Ship that exploded into a huge fireball while on a test stand at Starbase's Massey site. It was being tested to prepare for the Starship's upcoming 10th flight test. The Texas-based company said the Starship had "experienced a major anomaly." "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," a statement said. The explosion happened during a static-fire test. That test briefly ignites rocket engines while the Starship is anchored to the ground. The explosion was the latest in a series of setbacks involving Starship upper stages. The Ship section broke apart during the last three Starship test flights in January, March and May 2025. SpaceX has not publicly released a launch date for a 10th Starship test flight. Video of the explosion posted online shows the spacecraft was on the ground when it exploded. The spacecraft is seen idling while steam and smoke billow around its base. Then, a large flash is seen followed by a huge fireball being ejected into the air. SpaceX said it was working with local authorities at the test site. "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," it said.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX's Starship explodes in Texas during preparations for 10th test flight
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SpaceX's newest Starship vehicle just went up in smoke. The company was testing a Starship upper stage at its Starbase site in South Texas on Wednesday night (June 18), to prepare for the megarocket's upcoming 10th flight test. But something went very wrong, as video captured by shows: The vehicle exploded, sending a massive fireball high into the dark Texas skies. SpaceX acknowledged the incident in an X post early on Thursday morning (June 19), noting that it occurred around 11 p.m. local time (midnight EDT and 0400 GMT on June 19). "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," SpaceX added in the post. "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." SpaceX is developing Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, to help humanity colonize Mars, among other ambitious exploration tasks. The vehicle consists of two elements, both of which are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable — a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and a 171-foot-tall (52 meters) upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship, or simply Ship. It was Ship that exploded on Wednesday night, on a test stand at Starbase's Massey site (not the orbital launch mount, from which Starship liftoffs occur). According to NASASpaceflight, which closely monitors Starship activity at Starbase, the anomaly occurred just before Ship was set to perform a static-fire test. Static fires are common prelaunch tests, in which a rocket's engines are briefly ignited while the vehicle remains anchored to the ground. SpaceX had already conducted a static fire with this Ship, though that trial involved just one of its Raptor engines; this test may have been intended to fire up all six of them. SpaceX has also already static-fired the Flight 10 Super Heavy booster, successfully igniting all 33 of its Raptors. Related Stories: — SpaceX reached space with Starship Flight 9 launch, then lost control of its giant spaceship (video) — Starship and Super Heavy explained — Elon Musk says SpaceX will launch its biggest Starship yet this year, but Mars in 2026 is '50/50' Wednesday night's explosion continued a string of setbacks for Starship upper stages. Ship has broken apart on the last three Starship test flights, which launched in January, March and May of this year. On Flight 7 and Flight 8, the "rapid unscheduled disassembly" occurred less than 10 minutes after liftoff. Ship flew significantly farther on Flight 9; SpaceX lost contact with the vehicle about 46 minutes after liftoff, and its pieces are likely resting on the Indian Ocean seabed. Super Heavy has performed better. On Flight 7 and Flight 8, for example, the booster returned to Starbase after launch for a dramatic catch by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. The Flight 7 Super Heavy flew again on Flight 9, notching a major reusability milestone for the Starship program. (SpaceX did not attempt to recover the booster on Flight 9, and it broke apart as it was coming in for a planned "hard splashdown" in the Gulf of Mexico.) SpaceX is still looking into what happened on Flight 9, an investigation overseen by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. So there was not yet an official target launch date for Starship Flight 10 — and, if there had been, it would now have to be revised after the events of Wednesday night.
