SpaceX's 'Starhopper' catches fire in recent test
Cullen Desforges
Screengrab of video from July 16, 2019 fire at the base of the Starhopper test article in Boca Chica, Texas. Image Credit: Tim Dodd / The Everyday Astronaut
A test of SpaceX's 'Starhopper' rocket appears to not have gone entirely as planned. Several outlets are reporting that things didn't go as planned.
Three outlets including CNBC, Space.com and The Verge have posted that following a test at the company's Boca Chica facility. The vehicle's Raptor engine was ignited during a static fire test late Tuesday night on July 16 about a week before a scheduled flight hop test.
The engine test lasted approximately five seconds before the test vehicle was "engulfed" in flames. After about five more seconds, the vehicle was engulfed a second time in what appeared to be an explosion.
As of today, pictures seem to indicate that the vehicle sustained very minimal, cosmetic damage, with crews underneath the vehicle appearing to be inspecting the engine columns.
Earlier today, Twitter user LabPadre said that he spoke with the Cameron County judge's office and was told that SpaceX had withdrawn all planned beach and road closures for this week, and that there was no testing date currently being targeted at the time of the phone call.
Video courtesy of The Everyday Astronaut
Tagged: Boca Chica Lead Stories RAPTOR SpaceX Starhopper
Having a life-long interest in crewed space flight, Desforges' passion materialized on a family vacation in 1999 when he was able see the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-96. Since then, Desforges has been an enthusiast of space exploration efforts. He lived in Orlando, Florida for a year, during which time he had the opportunity to witness the flights of the historic CRS-4 and EFT-1 missions in person at Cape Canaveral. He earned his Private Pilot Certificate in 2017, holds a degree in Aviation Management, and currently works as an Operations Analyst in the aviation industry in Georgia.
John Stout
What do you mean "catches fire"? Is it made wood?