SpaceX and Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk said it was “not good” after an explosion took place during the testing of a prototype Super Heavy rocket booster.
What Happened
Musk’s comments came in response to a tweet that featured the explosion that occurred during the testing of the Super Heavy Booster 7 at SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas facility on Monday.Earlier, Musk had told software engineer and live stream producer Michael Baylor that the incident was planned. Baylor said Musk deleted the tweet where he said it was planned and corrected himself.
Why It Matters
Musk said last month that SpaceX’s Starship orbital launcher could see its first launch countdown as early as July.The Starship utilizes the Super Heavy booster and is powered by the next-gen engines called Raptors. The Super Heavy is the first stage of the space vehicle, while the Starship is the second.
SpaceX needs a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch the space vehicle, according to a prior report.
The test on Monday is part of many SpaceX must undertake to launch the vehicle, reported Insider.
The space exploration company has yet to complete all FAA-mandated actions, according to Insider.
Benzinga’s Take
There is no clarity on what caused the explosion, according to Insider. However, the latest tweet from Musk does not bode well for the planned timeline of Starship’s first countdown. He has plans to build more than a thousand Starships to transport humans to Mars; the vehicle is critical to his plans to populate the Red Planet.By Shivdeep Dhaliwal
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