A SpaceX Starship spacecraft exploded on Wednesday night, June 18, during a routine test in Texas. The blast happened while the company was preparing for its 10th flight test. SpaceX confirmed that all personnel were safe after the explosion.
The company described the incident as a “major anomaly,” while local officials called it a “catastrophic failure” during a static fire test. This is when engines are fired while the vehicle remains on the ground to check performance.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reacted to the news on X (formerly Twitter), calling the event “just a scratch.”
This is not the first failure for Starship. The spacecraft also broke apart during its seventh, eighth, and ninth test flights earlier this year. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX remains focused on its long-term goals.
Starship is the world’s most powerful rocket, according to SpaceX. It’s built to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Fully reusable, it’s designed to carry up to 150 metric tonnes, or 250 metric tonnes if used once.
SpaceX hopes that one day Starship will be able to carry up to 100 people on deep space missions.
Even with recent failures, SpaceX officials say they expect challenges along the way. “We are trying to do something that is impossibly hard,” a spokesperson said during a previous test.
The company remains committed to improving Starship for future flights.
