SpaceX Starship exploded on the test stand – no casualties

SpaceX was preparing the Ship 36 spacecraft for a static fire test ahead of its tenth test mission, but the vehicle suddenly erupted into a fiery flash at the Starbase (Texas) pad around midnight Eastern Time on June 19.

SpaceX said the explosion occurred just after the nose flaps were checked and before the engines began static firing. The company characterized the incident as a “serious anomaly” at the booth. NASASpaceflight’s video feed captured the moment of the explosion.

The explosion occurred just after the nose flaps were inspected and before the static burn of the engines.

Since the site had been cleared in advance, all personnel remained safe and fully accounted for. There is no danger to nearby communities, but SpaceX has urged residents to stay away from the test area.

Local authorities described the incident as a “catastrophic failure” of equipment. There were no casualties and an official investigation into the cause of the ship’s destruction has been launched.

Local authorities described the incident as a “catastrophic equipment failure”.

Starship is an ultra-heavy launch vehicle designed to deliver large payloads beyond low Earth orbit, including lunar and Martian missions. However, a series of tests show the project is far from ready:

• On two previous (7th and 8th) launches in 2023, Ship’s second stage exploded during climb.
• The ninth test in May 2025 ended with a loss of communication with the second stage and an uncontrolled rollover; the Super Heavy booster also collapsed during re-entry.

It’s now up to SpaceX to figure out the cause of the latest explosion and get back on schedule for flight testing.

The story SpaceX Starship explodes on test stand – no injuries was first published on ITZine.ru.