spacetoday.net: Starship prototype damaged in tanking test

Posted: Sat, Nov 23, 2019, 10:11 AM ET (1511 GMT)
Starship Mark 1 after test failure (NSF/bocachicagal)

The first prototype of SpaceX Starship vehicle was damaged during testing Wednesday. The Starship Mark 1 tanks were being pressurized for a test at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, site when a bulkhead ruptured, causing a plume of material to erupt from the top of the vehicle and tossing part of it into the air. The company said there were no injuries during the incident, and claimed it was "not a serious setback." Company CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Starship Mark 1 at an event nearly two months ago, saying that the vehicle would fly to 20 kilometers in the next one of two months. In a statement after Wednesday's anomaly, SpaceX said the company had already decided not to fly the Mark 1 vehicle, a decision it had not previously disclosed. SpaceX will instead turn its attention to a Mark 3 version under construction.