UPDATED: Jun 19, 2025 10:35 IST In Short Powerful explosion halts SpaceX Starship test in Texas Blast occurred before critical static fire test of Ship 36 Next launch delayed amid ongoing safety investigations A powerful explosion rocked Elon Musk’s SpaceX testing site at Massey, Texas, on Thursday, dramatically halting preparations for the company’s next Starship launch. The incident occurred just before Ship 36 was scheduled for a critical static fire test—a procedure in which the rocket’s engines are ignited while the vehicle remains anchored to the ground, serving as a final systems check before launch. advertisement Eyewitnesses reported a sudden, fiery blast that sent debris scattering across the facility, though no injuries were reported. The explosion caused significant damage to the Starship prototype and forced SpaceX to suspend all launch preparations indefinitely. Static fire test goes horribly wrong as SpaceX rocket explodes in massive fireball pic.twitter.com/LOACkGRy0j— Wolf Brief (@wolfbrief_) June 19, 2025 The company had been targeting June 29 for its next major Starship flight, which would mark the tenth test of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket system. This latest setback adds to a string of high-profile failures for SpaceX’s Starship program in 2025. Earlier this year, two Starship test flights ended in explosions shortly after launch, with one vehicle disintegrating over the Caribbean and another spinning out of control before breaking apart over the Atlantic Ocean. advertisement Each incident has prompted investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration and led to temporary airspace closures and thorough safety reviews. SpaceX’s Starship is central to Musk’s vision of making humanity a multiplanetary species, with plans for lunar missions and, ultimately, voyages to Mars. Despite repeated setbacks, the company has pressed forward with rapid development and frequent testing, touting each failure as a learning opportunity. SpaceX is working with federal regulators to determine the cause of the latest explosion and will implement any necessary upgrades before attempting another launch. The timeline for the next Starship flight now remains uncertain, as engineers assess the damage and review safety protocols. While the explosion shows the risks inherent in developing new space technologies, SpaceX maintains that Starship’s eventual success will revolutionize space travel, offering fully reusable rockets capable of carrying humans and cargo far beyond Earth. For now, however, the path to that future faces renewed scrutiny and delay. Published By: