SpaceX's Starship explodes in Texas during preparations for 10th test flight
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 NASASpaceflight.com 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New blood pressure guidelines recommend skipping alcohol, earlier treatment
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issued their first new set of guidelines to help minimize hypertension since 2017. The new guidelines used by clinicians nationwide recommend that Americans limit the amount of alcohol they consume. While forgoing alcohol consumption altogether is preferable, the groups found that men should limit their intake to no more than two drinks per day, while women should limit their intake to no more than one per day. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure both increase over time with alcohol intake, according to a report published Aug. 14. The data found that those who avoid drinking alcohol have the lowest risk of hypertension, and that those who reduce their intake by at least 50% experienced healthy blood pressure levels. The updated guidelines are now instructing doctors to recommend treatment to those with stage 1 hypertension rather than just stage 2. More: Can alcohol cause cancer? Here's what the science says While the 2017 guidelines would prescribe lifestyle changes and medication to those with a systolic blood pressure level of 140 mm Hg or higher, clinicians are now advised to recommend lifestyle changes to those in the 130–139 mm Hg range. The blood pressure gauge uses a unit of measurement called millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) to measure the pressure in your blood vessels. "By addressing individual risks earlier and offering more tailored strategies across the lifespan, the 2025 guideline aims to aid clinicians in helping more people manage their blood pressure and reduce the toll of heart disease, kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia," Chair of the guideline writing committee Dr. Daniel Jones said in a news release. Guidelines still urge people to reduce salt intake Experts continue to emphasize that lowering sodium intake is essential for minimizing hypertension. According to health guidelines, it's recommended that individuals limit their sodium consumption to 2,300 mg per day, with an ideal target of 1,500 mg per day. The report emphasizes that most adults get their sodium intake from eating packaged and restaurant foods, rather than adding salt to the food they prepare. The new guidelines encourage people to examine the sodium content in the food they eat and use potassium-enriched salt substitutes when possible. The guidelines recommend that people adopt a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH eating plan, which prioritizes meals high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and low-fat or nonfat dairy products, while also including lean meats and poultry, fish, and non-tropical oils. Exercise is also recommended, with experts urging at least 75-150 minutes of physical activity every week, from cardio to weight training. Is heart disease still the leading cause of death? Yes, heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide despite there being many ways to avoid hypertension and maintain a healthy blood pressure, according to the report. Nearly half (46.7%) of adults in the U.S. have higher-than-normal blood pressure, referring to either stage 1 or stage 2 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension refers to those with a systolic blood pressure of 130 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg. Meanwhile, stage 2 hypertension refers to those with a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher. More: Millions of us eat soy sauce regularly. Is it bad for you? What factors shape blood pressure? The new guidelines list the various factors that influence one's blood pressure, including the following: Behavioral, environmental, hormonal and genetic influences. Diet quality Dietary factors including sodium intake (lower is recommended), potassium intake (higher is recommended), and alcohol consumption (little to none is recommended) Intake of fiber, calcium, magnesium and plant protein Weight and related metabolic issues Age, obesity and insulin resistance Sleep disturbances and psychosocial stressors Physical activity and fitness Environmental exposures and chemical toxins, including air pollution and heavy metals This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New blood pressure guidelines suggest you skip alcohol, more Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Computing Grads Can't Find Work
'It's hard to stay motivated when you feel like an algorithm determines whether you get to pay your bills.' AUDREY ROLLER, a recent data science graduate from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., who like many has struggled to find a job as tech giants lay off workers and embrace A.I. coding tools.
Forbes
31 minutes ago
- Forbes
The Robot That Takes Tasks, Not Jobs
Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson sees opportunity in an American labor shortage. The company's humanoid robots have already been put to work commercially. Johnson doesn't think they'll displace human workers, she tells Forbes, but rather make them more productive. Peggy Johnson has forged a unique 'over 50' career: She was Satya Nadella's first hire when he took over Microsoft in 2014 and, from 2020 until last year, she ran augmented reality company Magic Leap. Today, Johnson helms Agility Robotics (total funding: $180 million to-date), which makes human-like robots to work in America's warehouses. 'In the logistics area alone, there are over a million jobs that are going unfilled,' she says. 'It makes sense to put a humanoid robot into these spots.'
