Elon Musk just revealed the cause of Booster 7’s explosion!
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Holy moly! That was a big big explosion!
And yes, more importantly, you can definitely guess it’s the B7, the first orbital SpaceX Super Heavy prototype.
So, what exactly caused the explosion?
How much damage did this affect to SpaceX?
What’s Musk’s next plan?
Let’s find out in today’s episode of Alpha Tech:
A SpaceX Super Heavy booster was rocked by a substantial explosion and subjected to multiple fires at the launch pad during the rocket’s latest round of testing.
The incident began around 4:20 pm CDT, the weed number that Musk loves so much when Super Heavy Booster 7 (or its launch mount) unintentionally ignited a cloud of flammable gas produced during a flow test involving most or all of its 33 Raptor engines.
Remember in the past, SpaceX has performed “spin prime” tests with Raptors installed on Starship prototypes, flowing high-pressure gas through the engines’ turbines to get them up to operating speeds and pressures.
But Booster 7’s test ended a bit differently. This feels like the Delta IV Fireball, methane flowing through before ignition and burning.
This is also far from the first fiery explosion at SpaceX’s South Texas facilities, which are intended for early rocket prototype testing. The first four Starship prototypes that the company launched from its Texas site exploded after soaring a few miles high. On the fifth attempt, the prototype flew, landed, and cooled down in one piece.
Elon Musk just revealed the cause of Booster 7’s explosion!
