SpaceX blew the top off its first Starship rocket while pressure testing it in Texas.
Steam poured from the busted prototype after it failed on Wednesday, sending its nose sailing through the air. The aerospace company, owned by Elon Musk, said that the result of the testing, while a minor setback, was not surprising.
“The purpose of today’s test was to pressurize systems to the max, so the outcome was not completely unexpected. There were no injuries, nor is this a serious setback,” SpaceX said in a statement.
After the explosion, Musk said on Twitter that SpaceX would be moving away from the Mk1 design that failed pressure testing to the Mk3.
“This had some value as a manufacturing pathfinder, but flight design is quite different,” Musk said.
Absolutely, but to move to Mk3 design. This had some value as a manufacturing pathfinder, but flight design is quite different.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2019
SpaceX launched the Starship project to build a space shuttle capable of carrying as many as 100 people. The ship will be designed to travel to the moon and Mars and to be able to land and take off multiple times.
Musk said he plans to use the finished rocket to carry people to the moon and Mars to create colonies for humanity. The Starship was scheduled to begin test flights soon after the pressure test, but the explosion has delayed flight testing as company engineers create a better model.
SpaceX is currently constructing two other model Starships in a Florida facility.
