A prototype of SpaceX's upcoming heavy-lift rocket, Starship, exploded on Friday (May 29) during ground tests in south Texas as Elon Musk's space company pursued an aggressive development schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.
A prototype of SpaceX's upcoming heavy-lift rocket, Starship, exploded on Friday (May 29) during ground tests in south Texas as Elon Musk's space company pursued an aggressive development schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.
The testing explosion was unrelated to SpaceX's upcoming launch of two NASA astronauts from Florida's Kennedy Space Center using a different rocket system, the Falcon 9 with the Crew Dragon capsule fixed on top.
The prototype exploded at SpaceX's Boca Chica test site as flames and black smoke were seen blazing in the air.
There was no immediate indication of injuries.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken test out the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule ahead of Wednesday's anticipated launch. Gavino..