--- title: "Rocket Explodes in Epic Fireball During Test" description: "A rocket exploded yesterday during a test in the UK's Shetland islands, resulting in a massive fireball that engulfed the entire launchpad." date: "2024-08-21" modified: "2024-08-21" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rocket-explodes-rfa" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "explosion" - "rockets" - "the digest" - "Video" --- # Rocket Explodes in Epic Fireball During Test ![A rocket exploded yesterday during a test in the UK's Shetland islands, resulting in a massive fireball that engulfed the entire launchpad.]() *\Image: @thandojo via X\* ## Trial by Fire A rocket exploded this week during a test in the UK's Shetland islands, resulting in a massive fireball that engulfed the entire launchpad. No one was injured in the epic blaze, [according to *The BBC*](), which was set off during a round of testing for the German spacefaring company Rocket Factory Augsburg's (RFA) vertical rocket, meaning it takes off from an [upright position]() directly from a launchpad — a complex launch process that demands an immense amount of energy and power. "We will take our time to analyze and assess the situation," RFA [told *The New York Times*](), adding that the fire was caused by one of the space industry's choicest euphemisms: an "anomaly." SaxaVord Spaceport, the builder of the launch structure, told the *BBC* that "this was a test, and test campaigns are designed to identify issues prior to the next stage." "We will work with RFA to understand and learn from the causes," SaxaVord added, "and support them as they move forward to the next phase of their preparations." If RFA is ultimately successful in building its rocket, its launch would be the first vertical rocket launch in European history, according to the *BBC.* Judging by the massive fireball, however, the rocket company might still have a ways to go. https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1825854038878884066 ## Drawing Board Per the *BBC*, SaxaVord hasn't been operating for very long, having been first approved for orbital launches by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as recently as December 2023. And unfortunately for a few other spacefaring hopefuls, RFA wasn't the launchpad operator's only client; European rocketmakers HyImpulse and Skyrora were both slated to use the port, as was a German offshoot of Lockheed Martin dubbed ABL Space Systems (although the latter was due to use the launchpad to send smaller payloads into orbit, not test rockets.) The CAA, for its part, is defending RFA and SaxaVord. In [a statement posted to X-formerly-Twitter](), the governing body wrote that "advancing space technology is complex" and "tests like the one at SaxaVord are essential to achieve future success." "Incidents like this are anticipated by operators and the regulations," the CAA added. At the end of the day, though expensive and destructive, this kind of stuff does happen pretty frequently in spaceflight, especially during earlier testing rounds. We're glad no one's hurt, and hey — at least the mistake happened down on the ground. **More on rockets exploding:** [*Spacex Rocket Suffers Catastrophic Failure, Explodes While Deploying Satellites*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()