Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship program suffered a significant setback on the night of June 18, 2025, when its latest prototype, Ship 36, exploded in a massive fireball during a static fire test at the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach, Texas.

The incident, captured live and widely circulated on social media, showed a powerful blast erupting from the base of the rocket, engulfing the immediate area in flames and smoke. The explosion occurred just before the planned engine ignition, during what was intended to be a routine ground test of the spacecraft’s engines while the vehicle was stationary.

Eyewitnesses and local residents reported feeling their homes shake from the force of the blast, and live commentary during the event reflected shock and disbelief as the fireball illuminated the night sky and debris scattered across the test site.

Fortunately, SpaceX had established a safety perimeter around the site, and all personnel were accounted for with no injuries reported. There were also no hazards posed to nearby communities, although the company urged the public to stay away from the area while safety operations continued.

SpaceX described the event as a “major anomaly” and has launched an internal investigation in cooperation with federal regulators to determine the cause of the explosion. The incident has caused significant damage to the prototype and the test stand, halting preparations for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission and delaying the next planned flight, which was originally targeted for June 29. The flames reportedly continued to burn for nearly two hours after the initial blast.

This explosion is the latest in a series of high-profile failures for the Starship program in 2025. Earlier test flights in January and March also ended in catastrophic explosions, and the ninth test flight in May saw the vehicle reach space only to disintegrate upon re-entry due to a propellant leak.

These repeated setbacks have raised concerns about SpaceX’s ability to meet its ambitious timelines for reusable spacecraft, lunar missions under NASA’s Artemis program, and eventual human missions to Mars. NASA’s Artemis-III lunar landing, scheduled for 2027, is now under increased pressure due to both Starship’s development delays and other programmatic challenges.

Despite the dramatic nature of the explosion, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to downplay the incident, referring to it as “just a scratch” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). However, the cumulative impact of these failures is expected to delay the operational readiness of Starship and may prompt further upgrades and safety reviews before the next round of testing.

The explosion of SpaceX’s Starship during the static fire test underscores the technical challenges and risks inherent in developing the world’s largest and most powerful reusable rocket. While no injuries occurred and immediate hazards were avoided, the incident represents a significant hurdle for SpaceX’s near-term and long-term space exploration goals.

Agencies