SpaceX rocket being tested explodes into giant fireball before launch

A SpaceX rocket has exploded earlier motorboat - sending a melodramatic fireball precocious into the sky.

Starship 36 was preparing for its 10th trial formation astatine Starbase - SpaceX's launch tract astatine the confederate extremity of Texas - erstwhile the incidental occurred connected Wednesday evening.

During instrumentality disconnected procedures conscionable aft 11pm section time, the rocket exploded into a elephantine fireball.

The institution described the incidental arsenic a "major anomaly".

In a statement, it added: "A information wide country astir the tract was maintained passim the cognition and each unit are harmless and accounted for.

"Our Starbase squad is actively moving to harmless the trial tract and the contiguous surrounding country successful conjunction with section officials.

"There are nary hazards to residents successful surrounding communities, and we inquire that individuals bash not effort to attack the country portion safing operations continue."

Read much from Sky News:
Trump: I 'may oregon whitethorn not' onslaught Iran
Elon Musk posts 'drug trial results'

It marks the latest nonaccomplishment for the abstraction formation company, which hopes that Starship volition 1 time beryllium utilized to ferry radical and cargo to Mars.

Last month, a Starship trial formation began spinning retired of control astir 30 minutes aft its motorboat due to the fact that of substance leaks - meaning it broke up connected re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

That followed explosive past failures successful January, wherever a rocket blew up astir 8 minutes aft take-off, and March, which forced flights successful Florida to beryllium temporarily grounded.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said successful May that contempt the rocket failure, the trial formation was a "big improvement".

A time later, helium said helium wants to nonstop a spacecraft crewed by humanoid robots connected a voyage to Mars by the extremity of 2026.