A prototype of Elon Musk’s Mars rocket in his SpaceX Starship development program exploded during a ground test Monday, an incident that could delay its plan for its first orbital flight.
The explosion happened during a spin start test of the 33 engines on the Super Heavy Booster 7, known as the B7 rocket, at a facility in Boca Chica, Texas, Musk confirmed on Twitter after a video of the explosion was shared on the platform. A leak of cryogenic fuel created a fuel-air explosion when the fuel evaporated, Musk said.
Holy moly. Well, that was unexpected!https://t.co/dUUqw7ojRv pic.twitter.com/7IGztPuE12
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) July 11, 2022
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Areas prone to leaking will be fitted with small sparks to burn off the excess fuel gradually as it escapes in an effort to avoid future explosions.
“This particular issue, however, was specific to the engine spin start test (Raptor has a complex start sequence),” Musk tweeted. “Going forward, we won’t do a spin start test with all 33 engines at once.”
Musk said the base of the rocket looked normal when he examined it by flashlight Monday night. However, more information will be released later.
Musk’s SpaceX company is focused on creating a Starship that would eventually place a human settlement on the red planet. Musk had initially hoped the rocket would take part in the ship’s first unmanned orbital flight later this month. After a 90-minute flight, the ship would attempt to touch down off the coast of Hawaii.
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Monday’s explosion was not the first time Musk’s company had fiery problems during testing. Last year, the company witnessed multiple explosions with the ship’s prototype before it successfully completed a suborbital flight. But Tuesday’s explosion marks the first time the B7 rocket had exploded, according to the Independent.
