On the evening of June 18, SpaceX was performing a routine six-engine static fire test of Ship 36 at its Massey’s Test Site near Starbase, Texas. Just after 11 PM CDT, while propellant was being loaded onto the vehicle, a sudden energetic anomaly resulted in the loss of Ship 36 and significant damage to the test facility.
The anomaly comes just days after Ship 36 successfully performed a single-engine static fire test to simulate the in-flight relight of a Raptor engine. Ship 36 was intended to fly on the 10th test flight of Starship and Super Heavy, which was expected to occur as soon as the end of next week and break the flight turnaround record, had the six-engine static fire been performed successfully.
Ship 36 static fire anomaly
By the evening of the anomaly, Ship 36 had already completed two cryogenic proof tests and a single-engine static fire. The night of June 18, it was set to complete a six-engine static fire before attempting a launch no earlier than June 29, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations plan.
However, at 11:01:54 PM CDT (04:01:54 UTC on June 19), during the final minutes of propellant load for its six-engine static fire, Ship 36 experienced a pair of explosions that ripped the vehicle apart, producing a large fireball and damaging testing infrastructure at Massey’s. The first explosion began near the top of the vehicle in the payload bay, with the second explosion occurring just seconds later as the rest of the propellant in the vehicle ignited.
SpaceX’s update on the Ship 36 static fire anomaly. (Credit: SpaceX)
According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and SpaceX’s website, initial data suggests a failure of a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) in the nosecone of Ship 36. COPVs are carbon fiber-wrapped tanks that can hold various gases, such as nitrogen, helium, and oxygen, at high pressures, and are much lighter than steel tanks of similar size.
There are several COPVs on the wall of the payload bay on the windward side of Starship; these can be seen in footage from Ship 35 during Starship’s ninth flight test. If one of Ship 36’s COPVs ruptured, it would’ve acted like a shaped charge and ripped the payload wall outward.
This, in turn, would have ripped apart the header tank transfer tubes, which run right next to these COPVs on the windward side of the vehicle. With these ruptures, all the liquid methane (LCH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX) inside the tubes would have mixed and instantly ignited, resulting in the failure of the forward dome and causing the vehicle’s nosecone to collapse. This initial collapse of the nosecone is responsible for the first of the two explosions.
Ship 36 experiences a RUD at Massey's during testing prior to Starship Flight 10. Seen in slow motion.
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Following the nosecone collapse, the rest of the propellant then ignited, which caused the second explosion. Fires were still burning for several hours after the anomaly, indicating that the explosions likely damaged the LCH4 farm at Massey’s.
Fortunately, SpaceX reported that no personnel were injured and that all members of the relevant teams were accounted for. Furthermore, all media and members of the public are okay, thanks to SpaceX’s pre-set exclusion zones around Massey’s.
However, for the Starship program, Ship 36’s anomaly is a notable setback. SpaceX has not only lost a ship in ground testing for the first time since SN4 in May 2020, but also lost the ability to perform testing at Massey’s due to significant damage to its static fire test stand and surrounding propellant farm infrastructure. With the loss of Ship 36, SpaceX will not be flying again soon.
Notably, the COPVs installed on Starship and Super Heavy share no commonality with COPVs used on SpaceX’s Falcon rockets. Thus, Ship 36’s COPV rupture is an isolated problem for the Starship program.
Given that the anomaly occurred during ground testing, the FAA will not be involved in any investigations into the accident. SpaceX will conduct its own investigation before proceeding with any further Starship testing or flights.
Ship 36 travelling to Massey’s ahead of its static fire testing campaign and anomaly. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)
What’s next for the Starship program?
With the sudden loss of a ship that was nearly ready for flight and significant damage to the infrastructure needed to test Starship and Super Heavy, SpaceX will face some difficult challenges in the coming months. Ship 37 recently began receiving its engines last week, but without a way to static fire them, it will remain in Mega Bay 2 until repairs can be made. Ship 38 is in Mega Bay 2 and currently needs cryogenic proof testing before getting engines. It is unclear if the ship’s cryogenic proof stand is still operational at Massey’s following Ship 36’s anomaly.
Super Heavy Booster 16 on the pad at Starbase. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)
Furthermore, SpaceX is in the process of developing and constructing the first Block 3 (Version 3) variants of Starship, with Ship 39 expected to serve as the first. With Block 3 so close and the recent anomaly, SpaceX would repair Starship testing infrastructure at Massey’s, such as the quick disconnect, for two ships before having to modify it again for Block 3. The question for SpaceX is whether it is worthwhile to repair the existing infrastructure for the current ship design or to move directly to Block 3.
As for Super Heavy, SpaceX has Booster 16 ready to fly and recently removed the hot stage ring, as it will no longer be flying soon. Booster 15 is ready and waiting for its next flight, which is likely to be the last flight of a Block 2 Booster. At this point, Booster 17 will likely not fly, as SpaceX has only two Block 2 ships left.
B18.1 test tank at Massey’s prior to the Ship 36 anomaly. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)
Booster 18 is also involved with the Ship 36 anomaly, as the B18.1 test tank was at Massey’s when the explosions occurred. The test tank likely sustained some damage, which would delay testing and production of the first Block 3 booster. Additionally, the new booster thrust sim stand under construction at Massey’s appears to have been charred and may have been damaged from the explosions.
Between the potential repairs needed at Massey’s and SpaceX possibly needing to inspect every COPV in its Starship fleet, the Starship program is likely to see significant changes and delays in the coming months.
(Lead image: Ship 36’s rapid unscheduled disassembly at Massey’s Test Site on June 18. Credit: D Wise for NSF)
