A SpaceX testing stand on the firm’s McGregor, Texas amenities went up in flames throughout a take a look at of its Raptor 2 engines on the afternoon of Might 23. In line with NASASpaceflight, the engine had an anomaly that brought about vapors to seep out and result in a secondary explosion. The information group’s livestream confirmed the engine shutting down earlier than the hearth began and finally swallowed the stand in flames and smoke.
SpaceX makes use of the Raptor engines for its Starship system’s Tremendous Heavy booster and upper-stage spacecraft. They use liquid methane and liquid oxygen as gasoline, they usually have been designed to be highly effective sufficient to have the ability to ship Starship to the moon and Mars. As Gizmodo suggests, its gases mixing resulting from a leak or an analogous anomaly might’ve brought about the explosion, although SpaceX has but to formally tackle what occurred throughout testing.
The corporate is at present making ready for Starship’s fourth take a look at flight, which is scheduled to happen on June 5, pending regulatory approval and barring poor climate or different elements that might delay the launch. This explosion doubtless would not have an effect on the flight’s launch window. SpaceX’s major objectives for the fourth take a look at flight are to be sure that the Tremendous Heavy booster will get a comfortable splashdown within the Gulf of Mexico and to realize a managed entry of the Starship spacecraft. The corporate stated it made a number of {hardware} and software program upgrades to include what it discovered from its third flight take a look at. Starship’s higher stage reached house throughout that flight, however it burned up within the environment upon reentry, whereas its Tremendous Heavy booster broke aside within the closing phases of its descent as an alternative of softly splashing down into the ocean.