One step forward. Two steps back.
Although SpaceX has pulled off some of the most incredible feats in regards to space flight and rockets, not everything has been, or is even expected to be, 100% smooth.
During a test of the prototype Starship SN4, during a static engine fire test, the entire ship was destroyed in a catastrophic explosion. A static engine fire test is when the rockets are fired at full throttle for a few seconds while it's being held down in order to run analytics and make sure the rocket is fit to take off.
The Starship SN4 was unmanned.
A manned SpaceX launch, dubbed DEMO-2 is set for Saturday, May 30th.
Photo: Getty Images