Although malfunctions and failures are considered possible events in the test phases, no one expects a rocket propellant to explode during a test launch. And that was what succeeded SpaceX’s Super Heavy Booster 7 when it was about to take off from the star base in South Texas.

During a video showing the test activities a pop and flames are seen at the base of the booster. Later, at least one fire near the platformpresumably caused by the accident, which sent a plume of black smoke into the air.

On Monday night, Musk went to the base himself to do it confirm the anomaly and assess the damage in person and determine a plan to move forward.

And while some have been encouraged to consider it could be part of a process, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, through a series of tweets, He confirmed that the fire was not intentional.

In addition, he said the company was planning a “spin start test” of the engines, which did not involve starting the engines. “Raptor has a complex startup sequence.”

Such inspections include assessing the integrity of the rocket’s propellant tanks, the health of the Raptor’s engines, and the condition of the ground systems and steel structure of the vehicle’s massive launch tower.

In recent weeks, the company has been conducting tests on the Booster 7 and Starship’s upper stage, called Ship 24, ahead of the vehicle’s first orbital launch. SpaceX hasn’t set a formal launch date for that first flight, nor is it clear how this crash will affect those plans.

The Starship system consists of the Super Heavy and an upper stage spaceship that reaches 50 meters, called the Starship. Both objects are reusable, which could make colonization of Mars and other ambitious exploration ventures economically feasible, Musk said.

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In that orbital launch, the Super Heavy booster will either fall into the Gulf of Mexico or attempt to return to starbase, according to a recent Federal Communications Commission document.

The spacecraft will enter orbit at an altitude of approximately 250 kilometers before returning and make a “power-guided landing” in the Pacific Ocean just north of Hawaii.

The company has already launched several higher-tier Starship prototypes on high-altitude test flights and has even completed the landing of one of the modules in 2021. The next mission, which will send a Starship vehicle known as Ship 24, into orbit, will be the first.

SpaceX’s intention is to develop Starship to transport people and goods to the Moon, Mars and other distant destinations. NASA selected the system as the first human lander for Artemis, the agency’s lunar exploration program.

NASA’s plans are to position astronauts near the south pole of our satellite, using Starship. The established date it could be in 2025 or a year later.

However, technical issues with the massive rocket appear to be a major obstacle to achieving a launch. SpaceX clearly has a lot of work to do before the Super Heavy rocket is ready for a static fire test.

SL