‘Not good’: Elon Musk after SpaceX rocket booster explodes during test | Watch

A rocket booster developed by SpaceX went up in flames on Monday (Screengrab from a video tweeted by @NASASpaceflight)

A SpaceX rocket booster burst into flames during a ground test firing in Texas Monday. SpaceX was testing its Super Heavy booster, which, the company hopes, will be used to push the company’s huge Starship rocket into orbit around Earth at some point later this year. The rocket booster explosion, however, could present a serious setback to SpaceX orbital launch, with chief Elon Musk admitting it’s “not good”.

"Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage," Musk tweeted after the early evening explosion of the Super Heavy Booster 7 prototype, as seen in a livestream recorded by the website NASA Spaceflight.

It was not clear what caused the explosion, which engulfed the base of the rocket in a ball of flames and heavy smoke and appeared to shake the video camera.

Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 11, 2022

SpaceX's complete Starship, which will stand 394 feet (120 meters) tall when mated with its super-heavy first-stage booster, is the company's next-generation launch vehicle at the center of Musk's ambitions to make human space travel more affordable and routine.

SpaceX did not respond to a Reuters request for comment when asked about Monday's blast.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also did not respond when asked if it would investigate the explosion.

(With inputs from Reuters)