SpaceX Experiences Anomaly During Starship Test

Late Wednesday night at approximately 11 PM CT, SpaceX was preparing to conduct a static fire test of Ship 36 in anticipation of its planned tenth flight test for the Starship. However, an incident occurred at the Massey’s Testing Center site, leading to a major anomaly. SpaceX confirmed that “a safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” assuring that there are no hazards to residents in the vicinity of its recently incorporated town of Starbase, Texas.

The cause of this latest incident, as well as any potential damage to the test site, remains unknown. This event follows a series of incidents during previous Starship flight tests earlier this year, including explosions, seventh, eighth, and ninth. According to reports from Fox 26 Houston, authorities have indicated that no injuries have been reported. Local news outlet KRGV stated that crews from the Brownsville Fire Department were responding to the situation.

Approximately 90 minutes after the incident, SpaceX provided an update on the situation via a post on X:

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.

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 while safing operations continue.

Reports indicate that the site continued to burn, with updates from live camera feeds from NASASpacefligh and LabPadre showing the site and the response from local fire departments. According to narrators on NASASpaceflight, the explosion occurred prior to the static fire test’s scheduled start, approximately 30 minutes after the propellant load sequence had begun.

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