Elon Musk had big plans for Starship. The company just carried out a static fire test on the Raptor engine in its Starship SN4 prototype launch vehicle on Friday. However, the vehicle exploded on the test stand in Texas. This has been the fourth fire test on this prototype. Thus, no one is quite sure what went wrong here.
This test has occurred in the development of Starship, which is a spacecraft that SpaceX has been developing in Boca Chica. The company wants to use it to replace its Flacon Heavy rocket and Falcon 9. However, Starship is in the developmental phase right now, whereas the vehicles are flight-proven.
SpaceX had just gotten the approval to fly its spacecraft for a short test. The main goal was to fly the SN4 launch vehicle prototype for short distances and to fly the prototype for short distances. However, after the fire, it isn’t possible because the vehicle has been completely destroyed.
The exact time of the explosion was 1:49 pm local time in Texas. Many reporters have reached out to SpaceX regarding the explosion to get the inside story. However, the company hasn’t responded so far.
SpaceX usually takes heavy precautions when running these kinds of tests to avoid any kind of mishaps. The company also ensures that no individual is hurt during these tests.
This isn’t the first time that SpaceX’s starship prototypes have damaged. Several previous vehicles also met the same fate. That’s the reason why space companies frequently test all the equipment beforehand and ensure that everything goes smoothly. They also ensure that the vehicles are completely safe and reliable, and they don’t cause any accidents.
Despite this accident, SpaceX isn’t slowing down. In fact, the company has started working on additional prototypes, including assembling SN5 in Boca Chica. So, the company is going to resume the testing program quickly. After that, it will move towards the newest prototype. This is a separate work than the company’s work on the Commercial Crew program. The historic launch is going to happen either on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the weather conditions.
