Elon Musk's SpaceX Suffers Major Setback As Starship Rocket Explodes In Static Fire Test

SpaceX's Starship 36 rocket exploded during a pre-flight static fire test at the company's headquarters in Starbase, Texas.

What Happened: "Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase," the company said in a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday.

Footage from the test shows the rocket bolted to the stand for the static fire test. The rocket then exploded, briefly turning the screen white before getting engulfed in a violent ball of flames, indicating the severity of the incident.

SpaceX says the company is working with local officials to “safe” the test site and has asked people not to approach the area as "safing operations continue."

Why It Matters: The failure at the test comes as SpaceX had been working on the Ax-4 launch to the International Space Station, set to carry over 4 astronauts to orbit. The launch had been delayed, citing a propellant leak and will now take place no earlier than June 19, the company said.

SpaceX has been a major player in the private space exploration sector and received a $2.5 trillion valuation projection from ARK Invest's Cathie Wood.

Elsewhere, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had earlier sounded out alarms over the International Space Station's safety, calling for it to be de-orbited within the next two years.

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