SpaceX’s String of Starship Failures Continues With Massive Rocket Explosion

SpaceX’s ongoing mission to prepare Starship spacecraft for trips to the moon and, eventually, Mars suffered a setback when a spacecraft exploded this week in South Texas.

The explosion happened during what SpaceX called routine testing in preparation for Starship’s 10th flight since 2023, which was expected to happen later this month.

SpaceX uses a different rocket design to launch its Starlink internet satellites.

On X, the space company wrote, “On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase.”

The company said that no one was hurt in the explosion and that while there were no hazards to people near the site, “we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area.” Raw video of the explosion was posted online by several outlets, including Rocket Future.

The explosion marks the fourth Starship failure this year for SpaceX, the most recent happening in May with the loss of contact with a Starship post-launch and then the spacecraft breaking apart upon reentry.

In an apparent reference to the incident, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called it, “Just a scratch” in a post on X.