A SpaceX Starship rocket that was being tested in Texas exploded at the Starbase facility, creating dramatic visuals.
On Thursday, June 19, the company said that the Starship "experienced a major anomaly" at around 11 p.m. while on the test stand preparing for the tenth flight test at SpaceX's launch site on the southern side of Texas.
Turning to its X account, the Elon Musk-owned company penned, "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for."
Musk also shared that the explosion did not cause any harm to the nearby communities and asked people to not visit the accident site.
Elon Musk's Starship rocket has faced three big failures this year, with explosions and debris.
Despite some past successes, its huge size – of 120 meters – has raised concerns about reliability.
Netizens have reacted to the huge explosion, pointing out the cost and potential harm to the environment.
Internet reacts to the SpaceX Starship rocket explosion
Expressing outrage, one social media user penned, "And we in Europe drink from paper straws and have attached lids to bottles."
While another comment under the explosion video read, "Thx for that extra pollution."
A third comment noted, "Government funded explosions courtesy of Elon Musks Space X. Each mission that fails with explosions costs taxpayers 100 million dollars."
Starship rocket and Elon Musk's plan to colonise Mars
Notably, Starship holds a crucial role in the Tesla founder's Mars ambition, as Musk previously shared that the rocket will send robots to Mars by the end of 2026.
The rocket is also set to play a role in launching the Starlab private space station in the hopes of commercial space orbiting labs.
This transition is set to take place once the International Space Station retires after 2030.
