A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a test at the company’s facility in Texas, marking yet another setback for Elon Musk’s ambitious space plans. The explosion occurred on June 18 around 11 p.m. CT while the rocket was undergoing a static fire test, which is a procedure where the engines are fired while the rocket remains secured on the ground. Video footage captured the massive blast, sending flames and smoke high into the night sky, shaking windows and rattling dishes in nearby homes.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, and SpaceX confirmed that local residents were not in danger. The incident was described as a “major anomaly” as the rocket program prepared for its tenth flight test. Musk later mentioned on social media that a specialized nitrogen bottle likely failed, which would be a first for this particular design if confirmed.
This explosion adds to a series of challenges for SpaceX’s Starship program, which is crucial for NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon and Musk’s goals of sending humans to Mars. SpaceX has contracts worth about $4 billion with NASA for this mission. While the company has experienced mishaps in the past, this incident is significant as it is the first failure during a ground test in years.
SpaceX has been rapidly testing new Starship prototypes at its Starbase site in South Texas, and the company is known for pushing its vehicles to their limits to learn from failures. However, this latest explosion comes after a string of in-flight failures, making it uncertain when the company will achieve its upcoming milestones.
Just last month, a Starship rocket disintegrated mid-flight, marking the third consecutive failure after earlier flights in January and March ended with explosions shortly after takeoff. The January incident was caused by a propellant leak, while a hardware issue with one of the engines led to the March failure.
With the recent explosion, it is unclear when SpaceX will be able to proceed with its next flight test. The company plans to conduct a review of the data and make necessary improvements before attempting another launch. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX celebrated some successes last year, including successfully catching a Starship booster at the launchpad with large mechanical arms designed for reuse.
Musk has ambitious plans for the future, aiming to send a Starship to Mars with Tesla-built robots as early as 2026. However, as he shifts focus back to his business ventures, it remains to be seen how much time he will dedicate to SpaceX and its Starship program, and what changes might be made to get things back on track.