SpaceX’s first Starship pops its top during a ‘pressure test’ in Texas

SpaceX has already moved on to manufacturing its next generation of R16;Mk3’ Starship frames, but the original model Elon Musk stood in front of two months ago popped open during an apparent “pressure test” at the company’s Boca Chica, TX site. According to site watchers like LabPadre, the top flew some 500 feet in the air as cryofluid sprayed everywhere. In slow-motion, it appears that fluid started bursting from the sides first.

In response to a question on Twitter, Elon Musk called the Mk1 model a “manufacturing pathfinder,” but noted the flight design is “quite different.”