SpaceX's Starship booster engines explode

SpaceX’s Starship test program ended in a fiery explosion at its Boca Chica development facility in Texas

[{"selector":"#anim-717f0c36-f451-4b19-a7a3-5f412b8e5aad","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6d0bfa05-7e29-44be-ae90-ce40fa559eb3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(124.54873%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-95c655ad-ac3a-41db-a34d-8ae3c88906b6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4b23f802-efb5-4057-b87f-77b089dcb5d9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-112.42425%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The test was being conducted using a prototype version of the Super Heavy booster

[{"selector":"#anim-86dc2ad7-4177-4912-b017-218a1657fdf1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ceb64177-2814-441c-8652-44cba7515466","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(124.54873%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

This booster is designed to provide the extra lift needed to get its Starship spacecraft to orbit and beyond

[{"selector":"#anim-77f7dda1-7f3b-4396-a624-1883a7d67059","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93252305-cbd5-411b-b079-dc1b1bbebd83","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(121.45328%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

This booster prototype has 33 of SpaceX’s large Raptor engines on board

[{"selector":"#anim-5a7b5e2b-ceeb-4ee6-8a5d-3f2c441b00db","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f589d70e-891b-4a18-99d9-bcf9fc50c6c9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(119.52862%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The test was conducted to spin up the engines for a preview of what the startup sequence would look like prior to an actual launch

[{"selector":"#anim-a24b7b54-608b-4808-85b4-9994ab4ffe2a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(118.60466%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0092ef3a-3682-4b34-a2b4-5f160fa3a54b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a27c9400-4980-4243-97ed-d70f92c04894","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

NASA Spaceflight got footage of the fireball that resulted from the test gone wrong

[{"selector":"#anim-533e0932-f5e9-4f5a-908c-134db6093c2a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0af46cad-f7a2-445d-9f65-64e49ef7f631","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(122.10526%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-79660ee8-88b0-461e-964b-07e898bb0007","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4bb5e257-ee77-4810-bbe3-3863020f49a2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-153.49999%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The failure caused a fire on the launch pad that was subsequently extinguished with no injuries

[{"selector":"#anim-a476c669-b2e9-475f-85d5-6bb727d42003","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-04d48ad4-20b9-404b-b762-c39ec51924fb","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(121.45328%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8df62e37-05ef-4118-9641-063b04561133","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6ad4efb1-2314-4cba-b829-29c7fdf50df2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-112.42425%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Starship is aiming to fly its first orbital flight test this year

[{"selector":"#anim-19815cd8-2b52-4042-a8c0-a33038e0de87","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aa315b37-3275-4e20-947e-670a2cffbada","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(124.01433%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Watch my previous story on Best Prime Day Deals under $50

[{"selector":"#anim-73c0d889-f915-4bb7-9092-dfae10972107","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.3)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.97)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1350,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] Watch story