Space: New explosion of Starship, Elon Musk's mega rocket
Rising star explodes in flight. A mega-rocket, Starship, from billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company exploded during a routine test at Starbase, Texas, without causing any injuries, local authorities announced Thursday, June 19.
"On Wednesday at 11:01 p.m. local time, during a routine static test at Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic failure and exploded," Cameron County, Texas, officials said on their Facebook page. "Fortunately, no injuries have been reported at this time," they said. "Emergency protocols were quickly implemented, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident."
"Starship, which was preparing for its tenth flight test, experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase," SpaceX confirmed in a message on X, specifying that "a safety zone around the site was maintained throughout the operation" and that "all personnel are safe and accounted for."
ANOMALY! Just before Ship 36 was set to Static Fire, it blew up at SpaceX Masseys!
Live on X and YT: https://t.co/GPjZIX1Zyd pic.twitter.com/CfZhDeSGae
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"Our Starbase team is actively working to secure the test site and its immediate surroundings in collaboration with local authorities," the company adds, assuring that "there is no danger to residents."
This rocket, which is the size of a building about 40 stories high and is the most powerful ever designed, is not experiencing its first setback. On May 27, Starship successfully reached space, but its vessel exploded before its scheduled descent to Earth.
In two previous tests in January and March, the upper stage exploded early in the flight, causing rain of incandescent debris over the Caribbean and minimal damage.
These incidents are far from unprecedented, as Elon Musk's company is relying on a risky strategy: launching multiple prototypes to gradually correct problems encountered during flight. The wealthy entrepreneur is counting on this mega-rocket to carry out his crazy project of conquering the planet Mars.
Elon Musk has established himself in recent years as a key player in the space sector, with Washington entrusting him with a number of crucial missions in this field, a partnership whose future is now uncertain following his explosive split with President Donald Trump.
Its rockets carry NASA astronauts into space, serve highly sensitive Pentagon missions, and were soon to play a central role in the long-awaited return of Americans to the Moon.
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