Elon Musk’s spacecraft obliterated: Massive explosion rocks SpaceX’s foundation: Earth-bound blast shakes engineers, sending shockwaves through the space industry. Mars mission hopes up in smoke as fiery catastrophe unfolds. Live stream. What caused the disaster? The stunning failure that could change the course of space exploration forever!
On June 19, the upper deck of the SpaceX spacecraft operated by tech billionaire Elon Musk violently exploded just before engine testing at the Starbase facility in Texas.
SpaceX SpaceShip explodes during testing – Video: Times News
According to CBS News on June 19, the explosion completely destroyed the missile and is considered a major setback for the super-heavy spacecraft that billionaire Musk insists will become a key vehicle for SpaceX’s future.
Video provided by LabPadre, SpaceX’s activity monitoring unit, recorded the Starship rocket suddenly exploding in a giant fireball at 11 p.m. (local time) on June 18, about 10-15 minutes before the engine test was scheduled to begin.
The video shows what appears to have been two explosions: the first near the rocket’s bow, and the second shortly after on the left side of the hull, with flames and debris shooting out wildly. The test platform nearly disappeared in a fireball that rose into the night, resembling a bomb explosion.
At the time of the explosion, the ship was filled with liquid oxygen and partly methane, two flammable fuels.
“Starship was preparing for its 10th test flight when it encountered a serious issue on the test pad at Starbase. There was no loss of life and all employees were safe. We are coordinating with local authorities to ensure the safety of the test area and its surroundings,” SpaceX posted a statement on social media.
The detonated missile, codenamed Baring 36, is expected to launch later this month along with the giant Super Heavy booster stage on its tenth uncrewed, integrated test flight. The Hotfire test is a routine pre-launch test to assess performance and technical upgrades.
The spacecraft’s upper deck exploded at Starbase, Texas – Photo: CBS News
From April 2023 to the present, SpaceX has conducted nine test flights of this giant rocket. The first three flights were unsuccessful, the next three were partially successful, and two of the final three flights exploded mid-flight.
The closest flight on May 27 reached the trajectory as planned, but lost control and exploded upon re-entering the atmosphere.
This explosion is considered a major step backward, especially in the context that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) expects SpaceX to soon complete the spacecraft variant to land astronauts near the South Pole of the Moon in the next 2-3 years.
To accomplish that mission, SpaceX must conduct 10-20 launches to refuel the landing in Earth orbit, while perfecting extremely complex technologies such as automatic cryogenic fuel transfer and heat retention for fuel in space.
At 123 meters tall, Starship is currently the world’s largest and most powerful spacecraft complex, playing a key role in billionaire Musk’s long-term vision of landing humans on Mars.
SpaceX Testship Rocket for the Ninth Time, Failed After 30 Minutes of Takeoff
On the morning of May 28 (Vietnam time), billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company launched the ninth Starship rocket test, but lost control and failed after more than 30 minutes of takeoff.
