--- title: "Update: Vid Appears to Show SpaceX Capsule Exploding During Test" description: "A video that made its rounds on social media on Sunday showing the Crew Dragon exploding in a massive ball of smoke during a test on Saturday." date: "2019-04-22" modified: "2019-04-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-anomaly-crew-dragon-test" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "rocket" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Update: Vid Appears to Show SpaceX Capsule Exploding During Test ![]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## "Anomaly" *Updated at 12:26pm* A video [posted to Twitter]() Sunday appears to show SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule exploding in a massive ball of smoke — during a Saturday test when it had [previously been reported]() that the spacecraft suffered an "anomaly." SpaceX declined to comment about the video's veracity on the record, but provided a statement to Futurism saying that "the initial tests completed successfully but the final test resulted in an anomaly on the test stand. Our teams are investigating and working closely with our NASA partners." Then the drama continued when the video disappeared from Twitter — though not before someone had uploaded a copy to YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe4ee56aHSg ## Escape System *Ars Technica* [reports that]() there were no injuries. The test was to verify the Crew Dragon's ability to push itself away from the main rocket in case of a problem with the booster. Eric Berger, Ars Technica's senior space editor, believes the video is authentic. He [tweeted]() that "I understand the video is legitimate and it’s consistent with accounts I’ve heard," ## Significance Futurism reached out to SpaceX to ask about the veracity of the video that appears to show an explosion. "This is why we test," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted Saturday. "We will learn, make the necessary adjustments and safely move forward with our Commercial Crew Program." An upcoming crewed Crew Dragon test — which could now be in jeopardy — could eventually mark the first time astronauts travel to the International Space Station from American soil since the end of NASA's Space Shuttle program in 2011. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft had an anomaly during tests Saturday]() \[*Ars Technica*\] **More on Crew Dragon:** *[SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Spacecraft Splashes Down in the Atlantic]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()