SpaceX Starship 36 Explodes During Test in Texas, Delays 10th Flight
Boca Chica, Texas – SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program faced another significant setback on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, when a Starship 36 prototype exploded during a routine static fire test at the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The dramatic incident, which occurred around 11 p.m. Central Time, sent a towering fireball into the night sky, marking the latest “rapid unscheduled disassembly” for Elon Musk’s Mars-bound rocket.
Starship 36 was undergoing preparations for its anticipated 10th test flight when the catastrophic failure struck. A static fire test, a standard procedure before launch, involves briefly igniting the rocket’s engines while it remains anchored to the ground to verify performance and system integrity. Footage captured by various livestreams of the Starbase facility showed a bright flash near the rocket’s nose, followed moments later by a massive eruption of flames and debris that engulfed the entire vehicle and test stand.
Despite the spectacular nature of the explosion, SpaceX swiftly confirmed that all safety protocols were observed. In a statement released on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the company announced, “The Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safe, clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation, and all personnel are safe and accounted for. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities.” Local authorities in Cameron County echoed these assurances, confirming no injuries.
The exact cause of the anomaly is currently under investigation. While SpaceX has not disclosed specific details, reports suggest the fire burned for over 90 minutes, indicating substantial damage to the test vehicle and potentially the Massey test site infrastructure.
This latest incident adds to a series of high-profile challenges for the Starship program in 2025. Previous test flights have also concluded with anomalies, including explosions during ascent or re-entry, and issues with booster recovery. Nevertheless, SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, continues to operate with its “fail fast, learn fast” philosophy, viewing each test and subsequent anomaly as a critical learning opportunity for rapid iteration and improvement.
Elon Musk himself appeared to downplay the severity of the explosion, reportedly posting “Just a scratch” on X shortly after the event, a characteristic response to such setbacks in SpaceX’s developmental process.
The explosion of Starship 36 will undoubtedly impact the timeline for the 10th integrated test flight, which was tentatively scheduled for late June. SpaceX engineers will now focus on thoroughly investigating the cause of the failure and implementing necessary design and operational adjustments before proceeding with future test campaigns for the massive, fully reusable rocket, a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis program for lunar landings and Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.