Another setback in Elon Musk’s ambitious interplanetary journey occurred late Wednesday when a prototype of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle had a “catastrophic failure” during a routine ground test at the company’s Starbase facility.
In a social media statement, Cameron County officials verified that the explosion happened during a static fire test of the Starship 36 rocket at approximately 11:00 p.m. local time (0400 GMT Thursday). The announcement was accompanied by a video that showed the vehicle still attached to the launch tower after a sudden flash and a huge explosion.
Authorities said, “There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities,” but they asked people to avoid the area while safety procedures were underway.
