SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes On Launch Pad

A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas has exploded, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.

SpaceX had been conducting tests on the Starship spacecraft and the booster engines that will carry it into space prior to the uncrewed test. I Photo: Forest Katsch Wikimedia Commons

The company said the Starship “experienced a major anomaly” while on the test stand preparing for its 10th flight test at Starbase, SpaceX's launch site at the southern tip of Texas, Andrew Griffin reported for The Independent.

Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built, and SpaceX hopes it will eventually carry humans to the Moon and Mars. But first, it must undergo a series of uncrewed tests — the latest of which was expected later this month.

Ahead of that flight, SpaceX had been conducting tests on the Starship spacecraft and the booster engines that will carry it into space. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, Starship is the world’s largest and most powerful rocket and central to Elon Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.

The vehicle is billed as a fully reusable rocket with a payload capacity of up to 150 metric tons.

This latest setback follows the explosion of a prototype Starship over the Indian Ocean in late May, as also reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The explosion occurred around 11 p.m. local time and was captured by cameras monitoring preparations for the test flight.

“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation, and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX said in a statement on X.

“Our Starbase team is actively working to secure the test site and surrounding area in coordination with local officials. There are no hazards to nearby communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while ‘safing’ operations continue.”