
SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test
HOUSTON: One of Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test in Texas late on Wednesday, law enforcement officials said, in the latest setback to the billionaire's dream of turning humanity into an interplanetary species. 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 Cameron County authorities said. A video shared with the post showed the megarocket attached to the launch arm and then a flash and a towering, fiery explosion.
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," without elaborating on the nature of the complication. "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," Space X said on social media. "There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area." — AFP

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Observer
6 hours ago
- Observer
SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test
HOUSTON: One of Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test in Texas late on Wednesday, law enforcement officials said, in the latest setback to the billionaire's dream of turning humanity into an interplanetary species. 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 Cameron County authorities said. A video shared with the post showed the megarocket attached to the launch arm and then a flash and a towering, fiery explosion. 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," without elaborating on the nature of the complication. "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," Space X said on social media. "There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area." — AFP


Times of Oman
11 hours ago
- Times of Oman
SpaceX rocket explodes into a massive fireball during test
Texas: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded into a huge fireball while preparing for a routine test on Wednesday. The rocket, designed to be the most powerful in the world, was preparing for its tenth test flight at the SpaceX Starbase facility at the southern tip of Texas. Local officials confirmed the explosion took place at a time when the rocket was preparing for a "routine static fire test" of its engines. That means engineers were set to test the rocket's engines with the craft still held down on its launch pad. But something went wrong and the rocket exploded. SpaceX described the incident as a "major anomaly," writing in a statement on X that: "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for." CEO Elon Musk said there were no hazards to nearby communities and asked people not to approach the site.


Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Times of Oman
Axiom-4 mission rescheduled launch to June 22
New Delhi: The launch of Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, has been rescheduled to no earlier than Sunday, June 22. The change in the targeted launch date allows NASA to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft segment of the Station's Zvezda service module. In a post on X, Axiom Space informed that the Ax-4 crew, comprising Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, as commander, ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla as pilot, and mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, remains in quarantine in Florida, to maintain all medical and safety protocols. "The #Ax4 crew remains in quarantine in Florida to maintain all medical and safety protocols. The crew is in good health and high spirits and looks forward to launch!" Axiom posted. The Ax-4 mission will lift off aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. According to Axiom Space, the Ax-4 mission will "realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years.