SpaceX Starship Implodes During Test, Musk Hints Flex Tape Might Fix It

Since we last spoke of it, the Starship underwent several test, some failed some less so, as the development process continues at the company’s site in Boca Chica, Texas. The most recent such test took place at the end of last week, and the results were spectacular, as they always are when it comes to something one of Elon Musk’s companies does.

The Starship prototype, called SN1, was on the pad awaiting a test of how well it can hold pressurized liquid nitrogen in its tanks, when it proved it can’t hold it all that well.

As you can see in the video available below and posted by NASA Spaceflight on YouTube at the end of last week, the ship just barely manages to lift off the pad when some catastrophic failure crumples it. That’s right, it crumples it, as the body of the ship does not seem to explode, but rather implode and then come crashing down on the pad.

For now the reason for the disaster is not known, but it appears no one was injured when it happened. SpaceX’s main man, Elon Musk, downplayed the incident on Twitter, first asking how was everyone’s night when retweeting the video of the implosion, and then asking for where is Flextape when you need it.

For what is worth, disasters have been a close companion of rocket tests ever since humans decided its time to leave the home planet decades ago. If anything, this type of disaster is what made space travel as safe as it is today for the limited number of people doing it.

Below is the video of the incident, complete with slow-motion images.