Starship ground test ends in white light, orange fireball

The SpaceX Starship 36 rocket exploded around 11 p.m. Wednesday during a test in Texas. The static engine test was in preparation for the Starship program’s 10th flight. A live video from NASA Spaceflight showed the rocket exploding in intense white light. An orange-and-red fireball billowed high into the air and spread along the ground. The broadcast picked up loud popping noises, possibly from fuel tank components, and pieces of debris were thrown into the air.

Fires continued to rage about 40 minutes after the explosion at the Masseys test center in Starbase, Texas, when the NASA broadcast ended. Emergency services arrived after about 25 minutes. SpaceX said in the early hours of Thursday that it was working with local officials to make the area safe. No one was hurt, and the incident didn’t threaten nearby communities, SpaceX said.

What went wrong? The explosion occurred in two stages, with the first at the top area of the rocket. The ship’s header fuel tanks likely blew up first, igniting its methane tank immediately afterward, according to NASA broadcasters. Its liquid oxygen tank was almost full at the time of the explosion, broadcasters said. SpaceX did not immediately give an official explanation for the explosion. The incident was a major anomaly, it said Thursday morning.

What did SpaceX founder Elon Musk say? Hours after the explosion, Musk wrote “just a scratch” on social media. He also shared a meme about the loss of the spacecraft.