On Wednesday night, a prototype of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded during a routine test in downtown Brownsville, Texas, due to “a major anomaly,” the company reported. A giant fireball lit up the sky and the air was filled with debris, but there were no injuries or casualties. Some windows rattled and so did Elon Musk’s ambitions to take civilians to Mars.
“Our Starbase team is actively working to secure the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials,” Elon Musk announced in a post on X.
The SpaceX owner also asked residents to avoid the area until the cause of the explosion is made clear, although there are no communities at risk in the immediate area. Initial reconstructions indicated that scientists were subjecting the Starship spacecraft to a static ignition test, meaning the engine or a group of rocket engines was ignited while the spacecraft was still on the ground, but it appears that a nitrogen bubble reacted. “Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure,” Musk continued. “If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.”
In fact, this explosion adds to the series of mishaps that will likely delay Musk’s prediction of launching Starship to Mars by the end of 2026, thereby also postponing planned spacewalks in the future.
Less than a month ago, on May 27, during another Starship test, there was a “rapid unplanned disassembly” about an hour after liftoff–meaning, an explosion. The aircraft went out of control and its debris scattered into the Indian Ocean, the company reported. There were other explosions in March and, even earlier, in January, in which the cargo parts where the astronauts are positioned allegedly detached.
