SpaceX's heavy-lift Starship rocket exploded late Wednesday during pre-flight testing at Starbase in Texas as the company tested the upper stage.
The cause of the explosion was not disclosed, but in a post on X, CEO Elon Musk appeared to describe it as “just a scratch.”
The two-stage rocket broke apart around 11 p.m. CT Wednesday while preparing for its 10th flight, according to a statement from SpaceX on the X platform. Both X and SpaceX are owned by Elon Musk.
The spacecraft consists of two reusable sections: a first stage known as Super Heavy, and an upper stage called Starship or simply Ship.
This is the ship that exploded, creating a massive fireball, on a test stand at Starbase's Massey pad. It was undergoing testing in preparation for Starship's upcoming 10th flight test.
The Texas-based company said Starship “experienced a significant anomaly.”
“A safe zone was established around the facility during the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the statement said.
The explosion occurred during a static fire test, where rocket engines briefly fire while Starship is anchored to the ground. It was the latest in a series of failures involving Starship's upper stages.
During Starship's final three test flights in January, March, and May 2025, a section of the vehicle broke apart.
SpaceX has not yet announced a date for Starship's next tenth test flight.
Video of the explosion posted online shows the spacecraft was on the ground when it exploded. The footage shows it running unloaded, with steam and smoke rising from its base. There is then a bright flash, followed by a huge fireball being ejected into the air.
SpaceX noted that it is working in cooperation with local authorities at the test site.
“There is no threat to nearby communities and we ask people to stay away from the area while security work continues,” the statement said.
Sourse: www.upi.com
