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SpaceX initially wanted to carry a loftier-distance test of its Starship vehicle last twelvemonth, but setbacks pushed the timeline into 2020. Now, SpaceX may exist looking at another delay. The visitor's Starship SN1 prototype just blew its top at the company'south Boca Chica, Texas facility. The rocket was undergoing a pressurization test, just different a fuel tank test several months back, this ane wasn't supposed to end in an explosion.

SpaceX moves fast and isn't agape to make the occasional mistake. And so, it can be hard to keep all the explosions and well-nigh-explosions directly. In January of this yr, the company intentionally pushed a Starship tank to the point of failure to test its capabilities. In November of last year, SpaceX lost a "Mk1" prototype rocket during pressure testing that was non supposed to destroy anything. This latest incident seems similar a echo of that November anomaly.

Co-ordinate to initial reports, the test failure on February 28th happened when the vehicle was being loaded with liquid nitrogen. The rocket appeared to split apart well-nigh the bottom, which launched the elevation section skyward. Photos of the site the following day showed little of the Starship SN1 survived. SpaceX probable intended to apply the SN1 vehicle for a static test fire with at least one Raptor engine, but none were mounted at the time of the incident.

SpaceX hasn't issued whatever official statement about the explosion, but CEO Elon Musk posted a tongue-in-cheek tweet of a video of the explosion with the caption "Then … how was your night?" He antiseptic the visitor'south focus is on the Starship SN2 prototype that volition eventually caput up for high-altitude testing. Of form, it has to survive pressure testing first.

The loss of the Starship SN1 is unfortunate, but information technology wasn't a vital piece of the development. The company has filed requests with the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation for permits to launch the Starship. The applications inquire for clearance for six months beginning in mid-March.

Musk eventually sees the Starship taking over all SpaceX launch operations from the Falcon 9. This reusable vehicle has enough power to transport payloads to the moon and Mars. It'south also the key to Musk's vision of colonizing Mars by later this decade. Elon Musk does tend to be overly optimistic with such timelines, but he's determined to send people to the blood-red planet at some point.

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