SpaceX's Starship spacecraft explodes violently right on the launch pad

On June 19, the upper stage of the Starship spacecraft of SpaceX, run by technology billionaire Elon Musk, exploded violently, right before conducting an engine test at the Starbase facility (Texas, USA).

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft explodes during testing - Video : Times News

According to CBS News on June 19, the explosion completely destroyed the rocket and was considered a major setback for the Super Heavy-Starship spacecraft, which billionaire Musk affirmed would become a key vehicle for SpaceX's future.

A video recorded by LabPadre - a unit specializing in monitoring SpaceX activities - shows the Starship rocket suddenly exploding into a giant fireball at 11 p.m. on June 18 (local time), about 10-15 minutes before the engine test was scheduled to begin.

Video shows what appears to be two explosions – the first near the missile’s nose, and the second shortly after on the left side of the hull, with flames and debris flying wildly. The test stand all but disappears in a fireball that shoots high into the night sky, looking like a bomb blast.

At the time of the explosion, the ship was being filled with liquid oxygen and partly with methane - two highly flammable fuels.

"Starship, preparing for its 10th test flight, experienced a serious incident at the test stand at Starbase. There were no injuries and all personnel are safe. We are working with local authorities to ensure the safety of the test site and surrounding areas," SpaceX posted on social network X.

The rocket, codenamed Ship 36, was scheduled to launch later this month along with the giant Super Heavy booster on its 10th uncrewed integrated test flight. The hotfire test is a routine pre-launch check to evaluate performance and technical upgrades.

The upper deck of the Starship exploded at the Starbase facility (Texas, USA) - Photo: CBS NEWS

Since April 2023, SpaceX has conducted nine test flights of this giant rocket. Of which, the first three were complete failures, the next three were partially successful, and two of the three most recent flights exploded mid-flight.

The most recent flight on May 27, although reaching orbit as planned, lost control and broke up upon re-entering the atmosphere.

This explosion is considered a major setback, especially in the context that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is expecting SpaceX to soon complete the Starship variant to land astronauts near the south pole of the Moon within the next 2-3 years.

To do that, SpaceX must conduct 10-20 launches to refuel the lander in Earth orbit, while perfecting extremely complex technologies such as automatic cryogenic fuel transfer and keeping the fuel warm in space.

At 123m 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 bringing humans to live on Mars.

HA DAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tau-vu-tru-starship-cua-spacex-phat-no-du-doi-ngay-tren-be-phong-20250619164846057.htm