A SpaceX prototype booster rocket burst into flames during a ground test-fire in Boca Chica, Texas, on Monday, according to a video captured and posted by NASASpaceFlight.com.
“Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, commenting on the incident.
A fireball that engulfed the booster apparently didn’t cause any injuries or deaths. Moreover, despite a seemingly large burst of flames and a lot of smoke, the rocket remained in place.
The vehicle that caught fire was the Super Heavy Booster 7 prototype, which was designed for the SpaceX next-generation Starship spacecraft, a nearly 400-foot (121-meter) tall rocket that the company intends to use to carry cargo and people beyond Earth to deep space, including Mars.
According to Musk, the explosion was “specific to the engine spin start test.” “Going forward, we won’t do a spin start test with all 33 engines at once,” he tweeted.
In February, the SpaceX CEO said he was “highly confident” that Starship would launch into orbit this year despite all of the regulatory and technical challenges. That being said, the spacecraft is still in its experimental phase, with the first landing of the prototype taking place in May 2021 after a series of failed tests.