A routine engine test at SpaceX's McGregor facility took a fiery turn on Tuesday afternoon when a Raptor 2 engine ignited, engulfing the testing stand in flames and smoke. The incident, captured on a livestream by NASASpaceflight, occurred during the testing of the powerful engines designed to propel SpaceX's ambitious Starship system.
While the cause of the explosion is yet to be officially confirmed by SpaceX, preliminary reports suggest a potential engine anomaly. NASASpaceflight indicated that a vapour leak may have preceded a secondary explosion, ultimately leading to the fire. Speculation points to the possibility of leaked methane and oxygen, the propellants used by the Raptor engines, mixing and igniting.
Despite the dramatic footage, SpaceX has assured that the incident will not impact the launch schedule for the upcoming Starship test flight. The company is currently targeting June 5th for the fourth test flight of its Starship spacecraft, pending regulatory approvals and favourable weather conditions.
The primary objectives for this upcoming test flight are to achieve a controlled, soft splashdown of the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico and a successful controlled atmospheric reentry of the Starship upper stage. These goals follow lessons learned from the third Starship test flight, where the upper stage disintegrated upon reentry and the booster broke apart during its descent. SpaceX has implemented various hardware and software upgrades to address those issues.