

In a dramatic setback for Elon Musk’s space ambitions, a powerful explosion rocked SpaceX’s Starbase testing site in Massey, Texas, on Thursday.
The blast occurred just before Ship 36 was slated for a critical static fire test—a procedure where the rocket’s engines are fired while it’s secured to the ground for system checks ahead of launch.
Eyewitnesses reported a sudden fireball that scattered debris across the facility. While no injuries were reported, the explosion caused significant damage to the Starship prototype, prompting SpaceX to suspend all launch preparations.
SpaceX had targeted June 29 for the next test flight of its Starship system—the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The incident now casts uncertainty over that timeline.