The enchanting explosion of Starship was caught on video, and Musk spoke about the causes of the disaster

During the seventh test flight of the Starship rocket, the ship of the same name failed all test tasks except one – it successfully separated from the first stage of Super Heavy, and then something went wrong. Half a minute after this, Starship exploded, creating an enchanting light show over the ocean. “It was the craziest meteor shower,” as one witness to the spectacle later commented on the X network.

Image source: Spacex

For the seventh test, a new, larger version of Starship was created. On board Super Heavy and Starship there were over 4,700 tons of fuel and oxidizer, for which the volume of the ship’s fuel tanks was increased by 25%. The ship was filled to capacity. There was something there to explode and burn spectacularly. It was planned to restart the engines in a vacuum. In the hold of the ship there were 10 mock-ups of Starlink satellites to simulate the launch of communications satellites into orbit. It was also expected to test elements of fuel transfer in microgravity conditions to test refueling in orbit – this is necessary for sending ships to the Moon in the future.

Seconds before the explosion

None of the planned test points were completed. Instead, videos of star showers caused by a massive fall of ship debris near the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Atlantic Ocean went viral online. The incident led to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) canceling and rerouting or delaying a number of commercial airline flights. For example, Miami International Airport issued a warning about a 30-minute delay due to an “abnormal rocket launch.” The company itself calls this “rapid unplanned disassembly of a rocket.”

Elon Musk also spoke about the possible cause of the disaster: “According to preliminary data, we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the fireproof partition of the ship’s engine,” he wrote. The leak was severe enough that the fuel pressure exceeded the capacity of the vent. In the future, in addition to additional testing for leaks, the SpaceX team will add fire suppression equipment to the spacecraft.

Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed! ✨
Pic.twitter.com/nn3PiP8XwG

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Just saw the most insane #spacedebris #meteorshower right now in Turks and Caicos ⁦@elonmusk⁩ what is it?? pic.twitter.com/a7f4MbEB8Q

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It cannot be ruled out that the loss of the ship will force the FAA to order an investigation and suspend test launches. At the same time, SpaceX itself intends to increase their frequency, simultaneously producing several new copies of rockets and spacecraft. The shipment of the next products has already begun, and they are on their way to the site of future launches.