SpaceX’s test rocket catches fire after engine test

The second fireball | Image: LabPadre in cooperation with BocaChicaMaria1

A prototype version of SpaceX’s next-generation rocket caught fire last night following an engine test in Boca Chica, Texas. About four minutes after SpaceX briefly ignited the vehicle’s engine, a second small explosion engulfed the rocket in flames for a few seconds — seemingly by accident. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the incident may postpone the first big flight of the vehicle.
The hardware that caught on fire is the test model of SpaceX’s next big rocket, the Starship: a massive spacecraft the company is developing to take people and cargo into deep space. SpaceX is building multiple versions of the rocket at the company’s test facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida and Boca Chica. These vehicles are meant to try out the…

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