Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test in Texas, marking latest setback in Mars mission

Elon Musk-owned aerospace firm SpaceX suffered another blow to its Mars ambitions late on Wednesday, when a Starship prototype exploded during a routine ground test at the company’s Starbase facility in southern Texas.

According to a statement from Cameron County authorities, the vehicle, known as Starship 36, experienced a “catastrophic failure and exploded” shortly after 11:00 pm local time (04:00 GMT Thursday). The rocket was undergoing a static fire test, a standard procedure that involves firing the engines while the spacecraft remains anchored to the launch pad.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the explosion, showing a bright flash followed by a towering plume of fire engulfing the rocket, which was attached to the launch tower.

SpaceX later confirmed the incident, stating the vehicle encountered “a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase.” While the company did not disclose the specific cause, it emphasised that safety protocols were followed. “A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation, and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the company said on social media.

Authorities also assured the public that there is no danger to nearby communities and urged people not to approach the area while “safing” operations continue.

The explosion is the latest in a series of high-profile setbacks for SpaceX’s Starship programme, a central pillar of Musk’s long-term goal to make humanity a multiplanetary species. The fully reusable rocket, which stands 123 metres tall, is the most powerful ever built and is designed to carry payloads of up to 150 metric tonnes into space.

This incident comes just weeks after a previous Starship test flight ended in failure, when the vehicle broke apart over the Indian Ocean following launch. Another test in May saw the Super Heavy booster explode during its descent, rather than executing a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Two earlier missions also ended with the upper stage disintegrating mid-flight.

Nonetheless, SpaceX continues to pursue its “fail fast, learn fast” philosophy, which it credits for its dominance in the commercial space sector. The company has recently succeeded in catching the Super Heavy booster with Starbase’s massive robotic launch arms — an engineering milestone viewed as critical to reducing launch turnaround times and costs.

NASA, which relies heavily on SpaceX for crew transport via its Dragon spacecraft, remains one of the company’s key partners. In May, the US Federal Aviation Administration approved an expansion of SpaceX’s annual Starship launches from five to 25, despite pushback from environmental groups concerned about the impact on local wildlife, such as sea turtles and migratory birds.

(With inputs from AFP)