Monday, 25 May 2026
SpaceX’s latest Starship exploded into a giant fireball during an engine test on June 18 at the company’s Texas facility. The company blamed a “major anomaly” and said all personnel were safe. Photo: LabPadre via Storyful
SpaceX Starship rocket erupts in fiery explosion
SpaceX’s colossal Starship spacecraft erupted in a spectacular fireball during a test at the company’s Starbase facility in Brownsville, Texas, late Wednesday night, marking the latest obstacle in Elon Musk’s ongoing pursuit of reaching Mars, according to Reuters.
The explosion took place around 11 p.m. local time while the Starship vehicle was secured to a test stand and undergoing preparations for its tenth flight, SpaceX revealed in a statement on Musk’s social platform, X.
The company cited a “major anomaly” as the cause of the incident, noting that all personnel remained unharmed. SpaceX’s engineering teams have launched a thorough investigation into the cause and are working alongside local, state, and federal agencies to assess any environmental and safety ramifications.
“Preliminary data suggests a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure,” Musk shared on X, referring to a nitrogen gas storage unit called a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel. “If further analysis confirms this, it would be the first occurrence for this specific design,” he added.
Footage of the event appeared to show at least two rapid explosions that ignited the night sky and scattered debris across the area in a dramatic display.
Standing 400 feet (122 meters) tall, the Starship rocket system is central to Musk’s ambition to transport humans to Mars. Yet, the program has faced a series of setbacks throughout the year.
In late May, Starship spun out of control midway through a flight, failing to achieve several of its crucial test objectives. Although the rocket launched from Starbase and surpassed milestones where previous attempts had ended in explosions, it ultimately did not meet its mission goals, with earlier flights this year scattering debris over Caribbean islands and forcing dozens of commercial flights to reroute.
Two months prior, the spacecraft detonated in space just minutes after liftoff from Texas, prompting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily ground air traffic over select areas of Florida.