A booster rocket developed by Elon Musk\’s SpaceX for its next-generation Starship spacecraft burst into flames during a ground-test firing in Texas.
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Things went south in a Monday, July 11, test in Texas where space company’s Super Heavy Booster 7 prototype exploded as seen in a livestream recorded by the website Nasa Spaceflight.
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\”Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage,\” Musk said on Twitter after the early evening explosion of the Super Heavy Booster 7 prototype, as seen in a livestream recorded by the website NASA Spaceflight.
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The explosion engulfed the base of the rocket in a ball of flames and heavy smoke and appeared to shake the video camera. However, there was no immediate indication of injuries.
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\”Going forward, we won’t do a spin start test with all 33 engines at once,\” Elon Musk later said on Twitter, explaining that the issue was specific to the engine spin start test.
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The booster was equipped with an array of 33 Raptor engines for use in an upcoming uncrewed orbital test flight SpaceX hoped to launch later this year.
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The explosion is likely to setback Musk’s aim of launching Starship to orbit this year.
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Watch below.
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Holy moly. Well, that was unexpected!https://t.co/dUUqw7ojRv pic.twitter.com/7IGztPuE12
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) July 11, 2022