--- title: "Video Shows Falling Starship Debris Smashing a Minivan" description: "SpaceX's disastrous Starship launch last week appears to have had some collateral damage." date: "2023-04-24" modified: "2023-04-24" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/starship-debris-smashes-minivan" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Video Shows Falling Starship Debris Smashing a Minivan ![SpaceX's disastrous Starship launch last week appears to have had some collateral damage.]() *\Image: LabPadre / YouTube\* ## Mini Vandal SpaceX's disastrous Starship launch last week appears to have had some collateral damage. During the failed [4/20 launch](), video [recorded by the YouTuber LabPadre]() shows the explosive blast — and also, if you look closely, caused the crushing of a minivan parked dangerously close to the launchpad. Subsequent posts revealed that the van belonged to none other than *NASASpaceFlight*'s Chris Bergin, and although the vehicle wasn't *completely* destroyed, it definitely suffered some major damage. https://twitter.com/BobBilsland/status/1649878315019247618 As bad as it would suck to have your van crushed by Starship, [Bergin noted in a tweet]() that *NSF* "take\[s\] these risks on purpose to get the cool shots." "We're always really grateful when rocket companies allow the media to have cameras \*Kenny Loggins voice\* in the Dangerzone," he joked. "That's the rocket game!" ## Hashtag Blowup As we reported that week, the minivan wasn't the only thing damaged in SpaceX's [ill-fated first attempt]() at an orbital Starship launch. Because the Elon Musk-owned company's Starbase is located near a wildlife preserve, [debris from the intentional explosion]() rained down on that government-protected land, and locals of the nearby town of Port Isabel, Texas also had to deal with a [layer of grime]() and shaken buildings during the launch, too. "It was truly terrifying," Sharon Almaguer, a local resident, [told the *New York Times*]() of the launch blast that shattered at least one nearby window. While this was far from the first time [Starship has blown up](), seeing it happen so calamitously, apparently on purpose, and with so many adverse side effects has us really wondering if and when it'll be ready to, you know, actually go into orbit. **More on SpaceX:** [*Elon Musk Lost $13 Billion on 4/20*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()