SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test in Texas
The Starship 36 suffered 'catastrophic failure and exploded' at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT Thursday), a Facebook post by the Cameron County authorities said.
Musk's Space X said the rocket was preparing for the tenth 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,' Space X 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 safing operations continue.'
Starbase on the south Texas coast, near the border with Mexico, is the headquarters for Musk's space project.
Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket and central to Musk's long-term vision of colonizing 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
After repeated explosions, new test for Musk's megarocket
SpaceX said on Friday that its Starship megarocket is scheduled for another test flight next weekend, after a series of fiery failures that have drawn scrutiny from regulators and foreign governments. The world's most powerful launch vehicle, Starship is central to Elon Musk's plans to return astronauts to the Moon and eventually colonize Mars. But repeated explosions have left debris scattered over Caribbean islands, disrupted flights, and raised questions about the program's safety record. The rocket's 10th test is slated for as early as August 24 from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, according to the company's website. Previous attempts this year saw the spacecraft reach space but disintegrate before a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, following a fuel leak and loss of control. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, the rocket is designed to be fully reusable and launch at a fraction of traditional costs. SpaceX has embraced a 'fail fast, learn fast' approach, but the latest setbacks — including a June ground test explosion — have intensified pressure on Musk's company. Despite the failures, Musk insists Starship will begin uncrewed Mars missions next year. Yet environmental concerns are mounting. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened legal action in June over falling debris and contamination, while US regulators recently raised the annual limit on Starship launches from five to 25.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump eases space regulations in win for Elon Musk
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday easing regulations for the private space industry, including eliminating some environmental reviews, in a move likely to please his erstwhile advisor Elon Musk. The executive order, which said it aimed to 'substantially' increase the number of space launches in the United States, was described by an environmental group as 'reckless.' Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has talked up several space missions including sending humans to the Moon and Mars. The Moon and Mars missions are planned to get a ride on the massive Starship rocket of Musk's private firm SpaceX. However, Starship has had a series of setbacks, with its latest routine test ending in a fiery explosion in June. SpaceX dominates the global launch market, with its various-sized rockets blasting off more than 130 times last year -- and that number looks set to rise after Trump's executive order. 'It is the policy of the United States to enhance American greatness in space by enabling a competitive launch marketplace and substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence' by 2030, the order read. The change could well benefit Musk, who has long advocated for deregulation of the space industry. The world's richest man was previously a close advisor to Trump before the pair had a dramatic, public falling out in July. The executive order also called on Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy -- who was at the signing and is currently NASA's administrator -- 'to eliminate or expedite the Department of Transportation's environmental reviews' for launches. SpaceX has been repeatedly criticized over the environmental impact at the sites where Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket in history, blasts off. The US-based nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity said Trump's new executive order 'paves the way for the massive destruction of protected plants and animals.' 'This reckless order puts people and wildlife at risk from private companies launching giant rockets that often explode and wreak devastation on surrounding areas,' the center's Jared Margolis said in a statement. Musk's dreams of colonizing Mars rely on the success of Starship, and SpaceX has been betting that its 'fail fast, learn fast' ethos will eventually pay off. The Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency would not adversely affect the environment.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Trump orders easing of commercial spaceflight regulations, in boon to Musk's SpaceX
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to streamline federal regulation governing commercial rocket launches, a move that would benefit Elon Musk's SpaceX and other private space ventures. Trump's order, among other things, directs the US transportation secretary to eliminate or expedite environmental reviews for launch licenses administered by the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House said in a statement. The declaration also calls on the secretary to do away with 'outdated, redundant or overly restrictive rules for launch and reentry vehicles.' 'Inefficient permitting processes discourage investment and innovation, limiting the ability of US companies to lead in global space markets,' the executive order states. It added: 'Overly complex environmental and other licensing and permitting regulations slow down commercial space launches and infrastructure development, and benefit entrenched incumbents over new market entrants .' Although Musk and Trump have remained embroiled in a high-profile feud for months, the billionaire entrepreneur's SpaceX rocket and satellite venture potentially stands to be the single biggest immediate beneficiary of Trump's order on Wednesday. SpaceX, although not mentioned by name in the executive order, easily leads all other US space industry entities, including NASA, in the sheer number of launches it routinely conducts. Musk has complained that environmental impact reviews and post-flight mishap investigations have repeatedly slowed down testing of SpaceX's ambitious new Starship rocket vehicle, under development at the company's South Texas launch facility.
