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SpaceX performs a static fire test with Starship top scene 2025. May 12 Before Starship’s ninth test flight. The Top Stage of Stregt 10 Starshipt exploded in 2025. June 18th. Apparently at the study booth just before a similar engine test. | Credit: SpaceX
The latest SpaceX’s Starship vehicle just rose smoke.
On Wednesday night (June 18), the company tested the Starship top scene in its Starbas in South Texas to prepare for the future Megarocket 10th flight test.
But something happened because the video captured by nasaspaceflight.com: The vehicle exploded and sent a huge fire ball into the dark Texas sky.
SpaceX acknowledged the event in an X report early Thursday morning (June 19), noting that it had happened around 11am. Local time (midnight EDT and 0400 GMT June 19).
“The entire operation was maintained by a safe area in the environment, and all employees are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX added in the recording. “Our Starbas, the team is actively trying to protect the test location and the direct surrounding area along with local officials. There are no risks to the surrounding communities. We ask that individuals do not try to get closer to the area until the safe surgery is continued. “
SpaceX is developing Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built to help humanity colonize Mars, among other ambitious research tasks.
The vehicle consists of two elements that are both designed to be completely and quickly a reusable-first-tier amplifier called “super heavy” and 171 feet high (52 meters) of the upper tier spacecraft known as Starship, or just a ship.
On Wednesday night, a ship exploded, on the Massey website of the trial bench in Massey (not the Orbital Launch holder, from which Starship lifting). According to the NasaspaceFlight, which is closely monitored by Starbas in Starbas, the anomaly occurred just before the ship to perform a static fire test.
Static fires are common pre -trials, during which rocket engines are briefly ignited while the vehicle remains attached to the ground. SpaceX had already carried out a static fire with this ship, although this trial has only included one of its Raptor engines; This test could be used to burn all six.
SpaceX has also been static by the Flight 10 Super Heavy Booster, successfully ignited by all 33 Raptors.
Related stories:
– SpaceX reached space with Starship Flight 9 launch, then lost its giant spacecraft control (video)
– Starship and Super Heavy explained
– Elon Musk says
Wednesday night’s explosion continued many stages of Starship’s upper stages. The ship was distinguished by the last three Starship test flights, which began in January, March and May this year.
During the flight 7 and 8, “Fast Unexpected Dismisses” occurred less than 10 minutes after the ascent. The ship flew significantly further on 9 flight; SpaceX lost contact with the vehicle about 46 minutes after the ascent, and its pieces are likely to rest on the Indian Ocean Sea bottom.
Super Heavy turned out better. For example, during a flight 7 and 8, the amplifier returned to Starbas after releasing a dramatic catch performed by the Khopstick launch tower. “7 Flight” “Super Heavy” flew again on a 9 flight, marking a large phase of reuse of the Starship program. (SpaceX did not try to recover the amplifier on the 9th flight and he divorced because he arrived in the planned “hard splash” in the Gulf of Mexico.)
SpaceX is still examining what happened on a 9 flight, under the supervision of the US Federal Aviation Administration. So there was no official Starship Flight 10 target launch date – and if it had been, it should now be reviewed after Wednesday evening events.