Unbelievable footage shows moment Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket explodes during test
Incredible footage has captured the moment Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket remarkably exploded during a routine test in Texas on Wednesday (June 18) night.
It's certainly been an eventful few weeks for the Tesla founder after he stepped back from the Trump administration, while a bitter feud between the former besties embroiled.
That argument may have took a backseat for the time being, but Musk now has another problem on his hands and it comes in the form of SpaceX.
It's rather common for the SpaceX team to test rockets at Musk's Starbase test site late at night, and yesterday evening was one of those occasions.
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But things didn't go to plan after video footage captured the moment the rocket was engulfed in a ball of flames, which could also be seen spreading across the ground.
SpaceX never planned to launch the rocket this week, but the huge malfunction that took place will certainly be a cause for concern.
Thankfully, no one was hurt from the incident, with SpaceX penning in a statement: "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for.
"Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials."
Musk's company went on to say there 'are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue'.
Despite no one being hurt, the video of the spacecraft has gone viral, which certainly isn't a good look for SpaceX.
"Imagine living at Starbase and a rocket blows up in your backyard," one person penned on Reddit.
A second joked: "Yeah that looks like a regularly functioning SpaceX rocket to me."
While a third remarked: "Saving time by not even taking off, just exploding on the ground. Much more efficient."
It comes just weeks after a fellow SpaceX rocket spiralled out of control and exploded in a major malfunction.
The massive 400-foot rocket was launched into sub-orbit from its Starbase in Texas last month - but all went wrong around 30 minutes into the flight.
The Super Heavy booster, which is reusable and had previously been launched three times, experienced a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' six minutes into the flight when it relit its engines to try and land.
The Starship, the part of the rocket that carries cargo, began spinning out of control due to the fuel tank leak, before the ground crew lost contact with it 46 minutes into its flight, with it likely disintegrating over the Indian Ocean.
Callum Jones