A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a routine test at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas late Wednesday night, marking yet another setback in Elon Musk’s ambitious quest to make humanity a multi-planetary species.
Authorities in Cameron County confirmed in a statement that Starship 36 experienced a “catastrophic failure and exploded” shortly after 11pm local time (0400 GMT Thursday) during a static fire test, a pre-launch procedure in which engines are briefly ignited while the rocket remains anchored to the ground.
A dramatic video shared by local officials captured the moment the megarocket, still attached to the launch arm, was engulfed in a towering ball of flame following a sudden flash.
SpaceX later acknowledged the incident, stating the vehicle had “experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase”. The company provided no further details but confirmed that all personnel were safe, and there were no hazards posed to nearby communities.
“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX said on social media. “We ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile failures involving the next-generation launch vehicle. Starship, at 123 metres tall (403 feet), is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It is central to Musk’s long-term goal of colonising Mars and revolutionising deep space travel. The vehicle is designed to be fully reusable, capable of carrying payloads of up to 150 metric tonnes.
A prototype of the Starship exploded over the Indian Ocean in late May, following the failure of its Super Heavy booster to complete a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Previous test flights have ended with similar outcomes, disintegration of the upper stage and mission aborts. The past two launches also ended in failure, with the upper stage breaking up over the Caribbean.
Despite the repeated setbacks, SpaceX has maintained its “fail fast, learn fast” approach, which has propelled it to the forefront of the commercial spaceflight industry. The company has successfully demonstrated its capability to catch the Super Heavy booster using massive robotic arms mounted on the launch tower, a bold engineering move intended to enhance reusability and drive down launch costs.
The latest explosion is unlikely to shake Musk’s confidence in the programme. SpaceX continues to play a pivotal role in NASA’s operations, including ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station using its Dragon spacecraft. NASA has also selected Starship to serve as the lunar lander for its Artemis missions.
In early May, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved an increase in annual Starship launches from five to 25, concluding that the expanded flight schedule would not pose a significant environmental risk. The decision came despite protests from conservation groups concerned about the potential impact on local wildlife, including sea turtles and migratory birds along the Gulf Coast.
Starbase, situated near the US-Mexico border, remains the focal point of SpaceX’s efforts to build a sustainable space transportation system. While Wednesday’s explosion adds to a growing list of challenges, the company insists that each failure is a step forward in mastering the complex mechanics of reusability and interplanetary flight.
