Karmactive Staff
A SpaceX Starship rocket burst into flames during a test in Texas on Wednesday night, sending a massive fireball into the dark sky and rattling nearby homes. The explosion marks another bump in the road for Elon Musk’s ambitious rocket program that aims to eventually carry humans to Mars.
The blast happened around 11 p.m. on June 18, 2025, at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The stainless-steel spacecraft, known as Ship 36, was torn apart as crews loaded fuel – liquid methane and liquid oxygen – to prepare for a planned engine test.
“The Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” SpaceX said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). The company emphasized that “all personnel are safe and accounted for,” thanks to safety zones that kept workers at a safe distance during the dangerous fueling process.
The explosion was powerful enough to startle people living in nearby Cameron County. Residents reported their windows shaking and dishes rattling on shelves from the force of the blast. Despite the dramatic scene, SpaceX confirmed there were “no hazards to residents in surrounding communities.”
This latest setback has forced SpaceX to put its upcoming launch plans on hold. The company had been preparing for its tenth test flight of the complete Starship system – a launch that had been penciled in for June 29 according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airspace notices Before the explosion, preparations had been moving forward smoothly
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The destruction of Ship 36 adds to a challenging year for the Starship program. So far in 2025, SpaceX has already seen three test flights end in failure. Two earlier missions – Flight Tests 7 and 8 – saw the Starship explode during its climb to space. In Flight Test 9 on May 27, the spacecraft made it through the ascent but later lost control during its return through the atmosphere and broke apart over the Indian Ocean.
These problems aren’t just headaches for SpaceX, Starship plays a key role in NASA’s Artemis moon program. A specialized version of the rocket is supposed to land astronauts on the lunar surface during the Artemis 3 mission, planned for 2027.
Musk has even bigger dreams for Starship. He’s positioned the rocket as humanity’s ticket to Mars, suggesting in recent presentations that it could make multiple trips to the red planet as soon as 2026 – though these timelines now seem likely to slip.
After the explosion, SpaceX teams quickly moved to secure the test site alongside local officials. “We ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,” the company warned.
The FAA will investigate what went wrong, as it does with all commercial spaceflight accidents. Investigators will look for the cause, review safety measures, and check if all regulations were followed.
Despite these challenges, SpaceX’s approach to rocket development embraces a “test and learn” philosophy. The company builds rapidly, tests often, and uses each failure to improve future designs – though this latest explosion will certainly test that approach. The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the blast, and emergency teams were quickly activated. As investigators sift through the wreckage at the Massey test facility, they face the critical task of determining exactly what triggered this catastrophic failure.
