One of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starships exploded during a test on Wednesday night at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas. The 36th Starship was going through a “static fire” test—where the rocket’s engines are fired while it stays on the ground—when it suddenly burst into a huge fireball at around 11 p.m. local time. Indeed, videos showed that the rocket was attached to the launch arm moments before the explosion. Local officials confirmed that it was a “catastrophic failure,” but no one was hurt, and safety precautions were in place to protect the area.

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SpaceX explained that the rocket experienced a “major anomaly” just before its 10th planned flight test. Although the explosion was dramatic, the company is known for its “fail fast, learn fast” approach and believes that testing under real conditions helps it improve faster. Interestingly, Elon Musk downplayed the failure on social media by jokingly saying, “Just a scratch.” It’s worth noting that this is not the first time a Starship has failed, as test flights in May, March, and January also ended in explosions. Still, the rocket is key to Musk’s goal of reaching Mars and is part of NASA’s Artemis mission plans.

At 403 feet tall, Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever made and can carry up to 150 metric tons. In addition, SpaceX has made progress in recovering rocket parts by catching boosters with robotic arms, which it hopes will make launches cheaper and more frequent. As a result, despite past explosions, the FAA recently approved increasing the number of annual Starship launches from 5 to 25, and even overruled environmental concerns raised by conservation groups.

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The COVID-19 cases come during a busy stretch for SpaceX, which has completed four Falcon 9 launches since Dec. 9. (Photo: Thom Baur/Reuters)

A SpaceX Starship prototype exploded late Wednesday night during a static fire test at the company’s Starbase launch complex in Boca Chica, Texas, marking the latest high-profile setback in Elon Musk’s campaign to develop reusable rockets for missions to Mars.

At approximately 11 p.m. local time, the Starship designated as Ship 36 “experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” the company said in a statement posted to X. The rocket burst into flames during what was expected to be a routine static fire-an engine test in which the vehicle remains anchored to the ground.

“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX stated. “There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”

Livestreams captured the moment of the explosion, with footage shared by NASASpaceflight and local authorities in Cameron County showing a sudden fireball engulfing the launch stand. “Whoa! Whoa! No,” a man can be heard saying in the background, followed by “Oh, my God.”

Context: SpaceX’s Starship for Flight 10 just exploded on the test stand. pic.twitter.com/Zf2Cu0oYq7 — Space Sudoer (@spacesudoer) June 19, 2025

The caption on the NASASpaceflight feed noted that SpaceX was preparing for “a static fire test of Ship 36. The second in this series of testing for flight 10.”

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded to the incident on Thursday morning, appearing to downplay the failure with a post on X: “Just a scratch.”

The explosion comes amid increasing scrutiny of SpaceX’s Starship development efforts, which form the core of Musk’s long-term ambition to make humanity a multiplanetary species. Starbase serves as the operational hub for the project, with the facility located near the Texas-Mexico border.

Starship, standing at 123 meters (403 feet), is the tallest and most powerful launch vehicle ever constructed. It is designed to be fully reusable and capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes of cargo. Despite its scale, the program has experienced multiple high-profile test failures.

A prototype of the Starship rocket exploded over the Indian Ocean in late May after the Super Heavy booster failed to complete a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Two previous launches also ended with the upper stage disintegrating in flight, including one over the Caribbean.

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Elon Musk shared a stunning three-word reaction after his SpaceX rocket exploded into a massive fireball while being tested Wednesday night in Texas.

The SpaceX owner seemed to joke about the failed test, writing, “Just a scratch” on X after the Starship suffered a “major anomaly” and shot up into flames, ruining yet another test for the space company.

While SpaceX hopes their Starship will one day carry humans to the Moon and Mars, test flights in May, March, and January also ended in failures. The Starship program, SpaceX’s central project and the most powerful rocket to date, is also crucial to NASA’s Artemis program.

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Meanwhile, SpaceX chalked the explosion up to the rocket experiencing “a major anomaly” just ahead of its flight test.

“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the company said.

The craft suffered a “major anomaly” and burst into flames just ahead of its flight test. (TheRocketFuture)

SpaceX said that there are no hazards to residents in the surrounding areas; however, people are being asked to avoid the site.

The company said it is working with local officials to respond to the explosion.

Footage captured the 36 rocket, which was undergoing a static fire test, abruptly exploding into a dramatic fireball around 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

Elon Musk saw the light side of the explosion. (NASASpaceflight)

Video from NASASpaceflight.com shows the rocket standing in the dock before exploding without warning, sending a wave of flames toward the cameras.

It’s not the first time Musk has downplayed his company’s shortcomings. Following the SpaceX explosion in May, he said, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes Into Fireball During Test Flight, CEO Elon Musk Says It’s ‘Just A Scratch’

SpaceX is trending after another one of its Starship rockets went up in flames.

Video shows the spacecraft bursting into a massive fireball at the Starbase launch facility in Texas. According to the company:

“On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for.”

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SpaceX added:

“Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area.”

Elon Musk downplayed the explosion on X, posting:

“Just a scratch.”

This isn’t the first failed attempt. Just last month, another Starship rocket burst into flames during re-entry. The seventh and eighth launch tests also ended in fiery explosions.

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