SpaceX's Starship Mk1 blows its top during a cryogenic pressure testing on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at its Boca Chica facility in Texas. Mk1 is the company's first-ever full-scale Starship rocket prototype.
What Went Wrong
A day after the test campaign began (Nov. 19), the Starship Mk1 shook the world—albeit figuratively—when it partially exploded while undergoing a max pressure tank testing at its Southern Texas facility.
Midway through the test, the prototype's forward LOX tank ruptured, ejecting and propelling its top bulkhead several meters upwards. This caused the Mk1's tank to disperse cryogenic liquid and a large cloud of vapor all over the site.
A few moments later, its base was seen dispersing a second cloud of vapor, signaling that either the bottom tank bulkhead was also destroyed or that the entire tank structure was damaged.
About the Starship Mk1
With the height of 165 feet (50 meters), the Mk1 is SpaceX's first full-size Starship prototype. The stainless-steel vehicle served as the backdrop for founder and CEO Elon Musk's yearly SpaceX update about Starship, which, according to their website, is a "fully, rapidly reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and anywhere else in the solar system."
When the prototype was unveiled late September, the matter instantly gained a considerable fanfare, thanks to its groundbreaking features, and its ambitious timetable. Mk1 was originally scheduled for the first 20 km test flight of the program in the coming weeks.
A More Advanced Prototype Is in the Works
After the incident, Musk took to Twitter to reply to one of the many tweets for him and his company. One Twitter user named @Erdayastronaut asked about whether they will move on to developing Mk3 or focus on repairing the first prototype. The SpaceX founder wrote, "Absolutely, but to move to Mk3 design. This had some value as a manufacturing pathfinder, but flight design is quite different."
On Wednesday evening, the company's representatives released an emailed statement, reinstating and making official their CEO's speech on Twitter. According to the email, the outcome was not completely unexpected as the purpose of the test was to pressurize the Mk1's system to the max.
They added that they will not move on to flying the test article and will focus on designing the Mk3 instead. Apparently, the Mk1 space vehicle is not going anywhere outside the Earth.
What's Next for SpaceX
While the world is busy watching clips of the Mk1 anomaly and wondering what went wrong, the company is focused on constructing the Mk3, a more advanced prototype that is designed for orbit and will be propelled by the Super Heavy.
Earlier this year, SpaceX representatives said that the final and operational version of the Starship will be able to launch satellites to orbit the Earth in 2021. After the premature explosion of its first full-scale prototype, we are yet to hear further announcements regarding the Starship's updated timetable either from Musk himself or anyone from the company.
