A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas exploded on Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.
The company said the Starship "experienced a major anomaly" while on the test stand preparing for the tenth flight test at Starbase, SpaceX's launch site at the southern tip of Texas.
Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made, and SpaceX hopes that it will eventually carry humans to the Moon and Mars. But first it must conduct a series of uncrewed tests – the latest of which was expected to happen as soon as this month.
In advance of that test, SpaceX has conducted a series of tests of the Starship spacecraft as well as the booster engines that are due to carry it to space. The latest was a static fire test, in which the engines are turned on but the spacecraft stays attached to the ground, but it exploded as preparations were being made.
The explosion came at around 11pm local central time, and was captured on cameras that had been watching the preparation ahead of the test flight.
"A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," SpaceX said in a statement on the social platform X.
“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.”
It is unclear how much damage the explosion has done to the testing facilities and SpaceX’s facilities near Starbase, its Texas town.
