SpaceX’s Starship Suffers Explosion During Ground Test Ahead of Anticipated 10th Flight

SpaceX experienced a setback on Wednesday night when one of its Starship rockets exploded on a test stand in Texas. This incident occurred as the company was preparing for the tenth test flight of its heavy-lift rocket system. According to SpaceX, all personnel are safe and accounted for, and there are no hazards to surrounding communities, as stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

In a later update on Thursday, SpaceX indicated that initial analysis suggests the explosion resulted from the failure of a “pressurized tank known as a COPV, or composite overwrapped pressure vessel” located in the Starship’s nosecone. The explosion caused damage to the surrounding area of the test stand, but no injuries were reported. The area had been cleared as SpaceX was preparing for a static fire test of the Starship’s six Raptor engines.

The impact of this explosion on SpaceX’s Starship development program remains unclear. An advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had suggested that the tenth test flight could occur as early as June 29. However, this timeline will likely be delayed as the company investigates the cause of the explosion.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commented on the incident in a post, seemingly downplaying the event by stating, “Just a scratch.”

SpaceX has been aggressively developing its Starship program, combining the 171-foot Starship with the 232-foot Super Heavy booster. The company had earlier announced its intent to make 2025 a “transformational” year for the program. The FAA had also increased its limit on Starship launches in Texas from 5 to 25.

However, Starship has faced multiple setbacks this year. Previous test flights ended in explosions in January and March, and the ninth test flight in May also failed to achieve its objectives, specifically the deployment of dummy Starlink satellites.

Despite these challenges, Elon Musk remains optimistic, stating that SpaceX is aiming for a Starship mission to Mars in 2026, assigning it a “50/50” chance of success, according to an update in May. Additionally, SpaceX is reportedly developing a larger “Version 3” of Starship, potentially ready for flight tests later this year.